02-06-2025
Presence of rapidly-spreading new Covid variant confirmed in NI
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned the new strain, named NB.1.8.1, currently accounts for just over 10% of global Covid infections.
Data produced by the Public Health Agency (PHA), has reported seven cases of the new variant within the last two months.
The strain was first detected in NI in the week commencing April 14, when five cases were identified, with a further case the following week and a seventh during the week beginning May 12.
NB.1.8.1 has been designated by the WHO as a 'variant under monitoring' due to its rapid global rise and its potential to avoid immunity from previous infections or vaccines.
It is currently the dominant variant across Hong Kong and China and has been detected in the US, Australia, Egypt, Thailand and the Maldives.
"Respiratory viruses like COVID-19 are still very much in circulation' – Rachel Spiers, PHA
WHO data indicates the strain has jumped from accounting for 2.5% of submitted global sequences to 10.7% in just four weeks, prompting international concern.
A WHO spokesperson said: "SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve, and between January and May 2025, there were shifts in global SARS-CoV-2 variant dynamics. At the beginning of the year, the most prevalent variant tracked by WHO at the global level was XEC, followed by KP.3.1.1.
"In February, circulation of XEC began to decline while that of LP.8.1 increased, with the latter becoming the most detected variant in mid-March. Since mid-April, the circulation of LP.8.1 has been slightly declining as NB.1.8.1 is increasingly being detected."
Experts have said the strain carries multiple mutations that may infect cells more efficiently than earlier strains, but added there was no evidence it causes any more severe symptoms.
It is reported that the new variant triggers gastrointestinal symptoms – nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation and heartburn – in some patients, a shift from the respiratory symptoms of earlier strains.
It comes after the PHA last week revealed more than half of those invited for the Covid-19 Spring vaccination are yet to come forward.
Some 42,457 vaccinations had been administered by May 11, with uptake highest among care home residents (34.8%) and those aged 75 years and over (24.8%).
The vaccine is also being offered to anyone aged six months and over who is immunosuppressed.
Rachel Spiers, Immunisation and Vaccination Programme Manager at the PHA, said: 'The Covid-19 spring vaccination programme will run until 30 June, so there is still time for the more vulnerable members of our community to top up their protection ahead of any potential waves of COVID-19 over the coming months.
"But they should not delay any further. Respiratory viruses like Covid-19 are still very much in circulation and they can be life threatening for the most vulnerable people in society.
News Catch Up - Monday 2nd June
"Residents in older adult care homes, adults who are 75 or over and people who are immunosuppressed are particularly vulnerable to complications from Covid-19.
'It is important to keep up to date with your vaccines, as viruses change and protection fades over time.
"The best way to protect yourself and others is through vaccination. I would urge everyone who falls into an eligible group to take up the offer of free vaccination.'
The latest vaccination programme closes on June 30.
