New COVID-19 variant detected in Washington
A new variant of COVID-19 has been detected in Washington.
According to the Washington State Department of Health, a case was detected in a passenger at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. It was discovered during a voluntary nasal swab through the CDC's Traveler-based Genomic Surveillance program.
The strain is called NB 1.8.1, and the World Health Organization (WHO) says it's a 'variant under monitoring.' It's been detected in 22 countries so far.
The WHO says this strain's frequency has quadrupled since April – but it doesn't appear to be more dangerous than other variants. It's listed as 'low risk.'
According to the Department of Health's website, COVID-19 is currently responsible for about 0.5% of hospital visits in Washington. Just shy of 400 people have died from COVID-19 in Washington through May, which is down from 897 during the same period in 2024.
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