A new COVID (Coronavirus) variant named NB.1.8.1 is on the rise, having quickly spread from China to the U.S., appearing more transmissible than prior variants.
According to NBC News, NB.1.8.1 has recently caused surges in China and other parts of Asia. It is now feared that the new variant will cause cases to spike in the United States as Summer approaches. Experts also say the new COVID variant is highly transmissible.
Although the global 2020 COVID-19 pandemic is over, coronavirus has not been eradicated. The virus that causes COVID-19/SARS CoV-2 continues to mutate and create new strains/variants. In recent months, COVID strain NB.1.8.1 continues to make global headlines.
The strain is a recombinant of XDV.1.5.1, per the World Health Organization (WHO). The agency considers it similar to the dominant LP.8.1 variant, but adds that it has additional spike protein mutations, possibly affecting its ability to evade immunity. However, similar to other omicron strains, NB.1.8.1 is highly contagious.
New COVID Strain NB.1.8.1 Reported In Several States In America
The omicron variant emerged earlier this year in Asia, showing its dominance in China and Hong Kong. In recent weeks, the strain has now been detected in multiple states across the United States. At the time, the variant had been detected in 22 countries and accounted for just over 10% of global COVID cases.
On May 23, the World Health Organization designated NB.1.8.1 a “variant under monitoring” due to its fast global spread and mutations, increasing its transmissibility. As of May 29, a spokesperson for the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told NBC News that there were less than 20 cases of NB.1.8.1 detected in the U.S.
As of June 3, NB.1.8.1 has been reported in Arizona, California, New York, New Jersey, Hawaii, Ohio, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Washington, and Virginia, per the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) database. Furthermore, cases are expected to rise with this new highly transmissible variant as Summer approaches.
Experts Say COVID Does Not Have A Seasonal Pattern, Surges Throughout Year
In past years, since the inception of COVID-19, cases have habitually spiked in the United States between June and August. Four years later, in 2025, experts say things will not be any different. In fact, in 2024, the “FLiRT” variants of COVID went into the tail end of Summer across the country. It proved to be the second-largest Summer wave the United States had seen since the pandemic began.
While other and more common respiratory viruses, like influenza (the flu) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), are more predictable during the four seasons, peaking at the same time every Winter, COVID does not have the same distinct seasonal pattern. COVID-19 has previously surged throughout the year at different times and seasons, per the CDC.
Furthermore, Dr. William Schaffner, professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told TODAY.com:
“Over the last several years, there have been waves of COVID during the winter and in the late summer. COVID trends look like a two-humped camel, so it comes up twice a year.”
When reviewing previous trends, experts predict that the U.S. will see an uptick in COVID cases between now and August. Dr. Schaffner continued to state:
“COVID may not have completely settled into a (predictable) yearly pattern yet, but it certainly has spiked the past four summers, and we anticipate that this will happen again this summer.”
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