A new COVID variant is sweeping through China. Here's what to know about NB.1.8.1
A new COVID-19 variant sweeping through China has yet to make a sizable footprint in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says.
In January, a new COVID-19 variant known as NB.1.8.1 was first detected in China. On May 23, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified NB.1.8.1 as a variant that public health officials "may require prioritized attention and monitoring."
As of Tuesday, May 27, less than 20 cases of NB.1.8.1 had been reported in the U.S., a CDC spokesperson told USA TODAY. This figure is too low to be added to the CDC's COVID Data Tracker dashboard, the spokesperson added, though they did not clarify what the threshold for adding new variants to the dashboard is.
Here's what to know about the COVID-19 NB.1.8.1 variant.
COVID-19 vaccination: RFK Jr. ditches COVID vaccine recommendation for children, pregnant women
NB.1.8.1 is one of the latest variants of COVID-19, a "slightly upgraded version" of the LP.8.1 variant that is prominent right now, said Subhash Verma, microbiology and immunology professor at the University of Nevada, Reno. For comparison, LP.8.1 made up 70% of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. between April 26 and May 10, as reported by the CDC.
Verma said NB.1.8.1 may be able to be transferred more easily than LP.8.1. Additionally, he said that NB.1.8.1 is able to evade antibodies created by vaccines or past infections more easily than LP.8.1.
"NB.1.8.1 is likely to spread more rapidly and evade our immune defenses more easily than LP.8.1, which is why this variant requires careful monitoring," Verma said.
The CDC has not outlined symptoms that are specific to the NB.1.8.1. variant. Verma said that NB.1.8.1 symptoms appear similar to those of earlier COVID-19 variants.
The CDC outlines the following as common COVID-19 symptoms:
The CDC advises seeking medical care if you experience any of the following symptoms:
Less than 20 NB.1.81. cases had been reported in the U.S., as of May 27, a CDC spokesperson told USA TODAY.
According to the World Health Organization, as of May 18, 518 cases of NB.1.8.1 had been submitted to the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) from 22 countries.
The World Health Organization states that currently approved COVID-19 vaccines are expected to remain effective against the NB.1.8.1 variant.
The CDC advises that everyone over the age of six months get the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine, specifically the 2024-2025 Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine.
People who have never received a COVID-19 vaccine, are age 65 and older, are immunocompromised, live at a long-term care facility, are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant, and/or want to avoid getting long COVID, should get the vaccine, especially.
Updated and annual COVID-19 vaccines are actually not "booster shots." Boosters are additional doses of the same vaccine that are needed to maintain immunity, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Updated vaccines protect against new variants of a virus, like NB.1.8.1.
Increasing Community Access to Testing, Treatment and Response (ICATT), a federal program, continues to provide free COVID-19 testing to individuals without health insurance.
According to the CDC, as of May 27, more than 19,000 locations across the country offer free testing. To find a location near you that offers free testing, visit testinglocator.cdc.gov/Search.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Who makes decisions for public health is changing in Hamilton
Community members are now at Hamilton's public health decision-making table after long-awaited governance reform got the green light from the province. 'I think it's so vitally important to have those voices there,' Coun. Cameron Kroetsch said in an interview with The Spectator. 'I think, also, it just frankly gives the community more confidence that we have both councillors and health experts who can give a balanced perspective.' Public health policy will no longer be decided by the 16 members of Hamilton's city council after legislative changes passed third reading on June 3 and received royal assent on June 5 as part of Bill 11 , More Convenient Care Act. Instead, six appointed community members , with health expertise or lived experience, will work alongside six city councillors and one education representative to oversee public health. Coun. Cameron Kroetsch says it is 'vitally important' to have community voices on the board of health. The Progressive Conservative government made the required amendments to the City of Hamilton Act at council's request. 'The community pushed really hard for this,' Kroetsch said. 'It's been a long journey.' City council will provide one final approval at its meeting on June 18 but the vote is considered a formality. The new board is expected to meet for the first time on July 7 — over four years after calls for change started in March 2021 when COVID-19 brought inequities, related to social determinants of health, to the forefront as some groups fared better than others during the pandemic. Advocates — including doctors, social workers and academics — argued for a board of health that better reflects Hamilton's diversity, including racialized residents and those with disabilities. 'We didn't have that kind of community voice available to respond to issues of public health in our city and so I think this is going to be great,' Kroetsch said. 'Having these key people around the table, we learned during COVID, would have made things so much better … I just can't say enough about how important I think it is for community voices to be at the table.' The changes bring Hamilton more in line with about two-thirds of the province's public health units that are overseen by autonomous boards. Hamilton's board will be semi-autonomous as decisions related to the budget, the annual service plan and the appointment of medical officers of health will still be approved by city council. Toronto and Ottawa also have semi autonomous boards. However, policy decisions would no longer need any further approval so the board's vote would be binding. 'There's not really a way for council to override the board of health,' Kroetsch said. 'We've given over that autonomy.' The governance reform initially had the unanimous support of council in January 2024. While awaiting the legislative changes, a public health subcommittee was created that will now become the board of health. Up until now, its decisions needed to be approved by city councillors. But opposition to the changes flared up in May after a disagreement over how restrictive the city should be about drinking on municipal property revealed a divide between councillors and the subcommittee. The proposed changes to the municipal alcohol policy were passed with almost no discussion by the subcommittee. In stark contrast, councillors voted 13-1 against it after a charged debate and an in-camera session to get legal advice. It raised questions about what would happen in the future when the semi-autonomous board of health no longer needed councillors' approval for such policy decisions. The subsequent vote went from unanimous to passing 9-5 on the makeup of the future board of health. But Kroetsch, who has been chairing the subcommittee, expects the transition will now be smooth. 'It's just going to be a new day for Hamilton in terms of having that expert advice from the community on the board of health to be able to weigh in on matters that are important,' Kroetsch said. 'We're talking about something that has literally a life and death impact for people. Public health is one of those areas of municipal governance that can impact people's day to day lives.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Top Hamilton headlines this week: 40 hours in St. Joe's emergency department + ‘Rats and cockroaches own that place now'
The weekend is here, but plenty happened in the Hamilton area this week. Don't miss these top stories from Spectator reporters. Take in a Forge FC game, a car show in Burlington or a street party on Concession, and there are plenty more things to do this weekend. Here are some ideas . Saturday is sun day. Environment Canada is forecasting a high of 25 C. Temperatures are expected to peak at 18 C on a cloudy Sunday and there is a chance of showers. Emergency is a three-part series about St. Joseph's Healthcare emergency department in Hamilton's core. Spec reporter Jon Wells spent 40 hours talking to the patients who come to this eye in the storm of the mental health, homelessness and addiction crisis, and those who work there. Part 2: St. Joe's emergency sees upwards of 200 patients in a 24-hour period Part 3: A surge of homeless patients at the busiest emergency department A Burlington lawyer arrested in connection with a suspected multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme is under investigation by the Law Society of Ontario for allegedly misusing her trust fund. Robert DeRosa feels forgotten as the world increasingly moves on from COVID-19. Life never went back to normal for the 42-year-old former teacher, who went from running marathons nearly five and half years ago to falling so ill from long COVID that he can't work, lives with his dad and barely leaves his Hamilton Mountain home. Hamilton council will not allow a homeowner to keep the contentious poolside oasis he built on city parkland on the Stoney Creek Mountain. Two days after handing over her May rent, Crystal Wicker said she received a letter from the County of Brant informing her the motel she has called home for over two years was unsafe to live in. Before she had time to process the news, the hydro got cut. Subscribe to our newsletters for the latest local content . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Province's former top doc joins Grand Erie health unit amid measles outbreak
As Grand Erie's health unit searches for a new medical officer of health, Ontario's former top doc has stepped in to help the region manage a measles outbreak. Dr. David Williams, who was Ontario's chief medical officer of health from 2015 to 2021, has joined Grand Erie Public Health 'to provide additional temporary support,' the health unit announced in a news release on Thursday. Williams led the province's response to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since he retired in 2021, he has advised various Ontario health units. His move to Grand Erie comes as Dr. Rebecca Comley returns to the role of acting medical officer of health for GEPH, which covers Haldimand-Norfolk and Brantford-Brant. Comley had been top doc for the former Brant County Health Unit, which merged with Haldimand-Norfolk's health unit in January. She started in the same role with Grand Erie, but went on leave almost immediately after the merger. Comley's replacement, Dr. Malcolm Lock, died suddenly in late February, prompting Waterloo's associate medical officer, Dr. Adelle Chang On, to temporarily transfer to Grand Erie. 'Dr. Comley and Dr. Williams will ensure continuity in coverage during the ongoing recruitment for a permanent medical officer of health,' the release stated. Norfolk Mayor Amy Martin, who chairs Grand Erie's board of health, welcomed Comley's return. 'We're pleased to welcome Dr. Comley back from leave as she resumes the role of acting medical officer of health, supporting continuity while we continue our search for a permanent appointment,' Martin said in the release. 'We expect to share further updates on this recruitment in the near future.' It is unclear whether Comley, who has a master's of public health and spent 10 years in the emergency department at Brantford General Hospital, has applied for the permanent job. According to provincial law, medical officer candidates must have completed at least a year-long postgraduate study in epidemiology, disease prevention and health promotion, while any licensed physician in Ontario can be an acting medical officer of health (MOH). As there is no time limit on how long an acting MOH can stay in the role, Comley could keep the job indefinitely. The health unit is also in search of a new chief executive officer after former CEO Brent Richardson departed the organization without explanation in April. Richardson had been CEO of the Brant County Health Unit and held the same job at Grand Erie after the merger. He did not respond to an interview request at the time of his departure. Comley will have help from Williams in managing an ongoing measles outbreak in Grand Erie. The region — and Norfolk County in particular — has been a hot spot for measles cases during a provincewide outbreak that started last October. As of June 3, Grand Erie has reported 273 measles cases since the end of October, including 25 new cases in the past week, according to Public Health Ontario. That case count is second only to Southwestern Public Health, which borders western Norfolk and has reported 725 total measles cases. The vast majority of cases are in unvaccinated children and youth, the province says. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
