Latest news with #covid
Gizmodo
6 days ago
- Health
- Gizmodo
A New Covid Variant Is Rising Fast. Here's What We Know About NB.1.8.1
As we enter the colder months in Australia, covid is making headlines again, this time due to the emergence of a new variant: NB.1.8.1. Last week, the World Health Organization designated NB.1.8.1 as a 'variant under monitoring', owing to its growing global spread and some notable characteristics which could set it apart from earlier variants. So what do you need to know about this new variant? The current covid situation More than five years since covid was initially declared a pandemic, we're still experiencing regular waves of infections. It's more difficult to track the occurrence of the virus nowadays, as fewer people are testing and reporting infections. But available data suggests in late May 2025, case numbers in Australia were ticking upwards. Genomic sequencing has confirmed NB.1.8.1 is among the circulating strains in Australia, and generally increasing. Of cases sequenced up to May 6 across Australia, NB.1.8.1 ranged from less than 10% in South Australia to more than 40% in Victoria. Wastewater surveillance in Western Australia has determined NB.1.8.1 is now the dominant variant in wastewater samples collected in Perth. Internationally NB.1.8.1 is also growing. By late April 2025, it comprised roughly 10.7% of all submitted sequences—up from just 2.5% four weeks prior. While the absolute number of cases sequenced was still modest, this consistent upward trend has prompted closer monitoring by international public health agencies. NB.1.8.1 has been spreading particularly in Asia—it was the dominant variant in Hong Kong and China at the end of April. Where does this variant come from? According to the WHO, NB.1.8.1 was first detected from samples collected in January 2025. It's a sublineage of the Omicron variant, descending from the recombinant XDV lineage. 'Recombinant' is where a new variant arises from the genetic mixing of two or more existing variants. What does the research say? Like its predecessors, NB.1.8.1 carries a suite of mutations in the spike protein. This is the protein on the surface of the virus that allows it to infect us—specifically via the ACE2 receptors, a 'doorway' to our cells. The mutations include T22N, F59S, G184S, A435S, V445H, and T478I. It's early days for this variant, so we don't have much data on what these changes mean yet. But a recent preprint (a study that has not yet been peer reviewed) offers some clues about why NB.1.8.1 may be gathering traction. Using lab-based models, researchers found NB.1.8.1 had the strongest binding affinity to the human ACE2 receptor of several variants tested—suggesting it may infect cells more efficiently than earlier strains. The study also looked at how well antibodies from vaccinated or previously infected people could neutralise or 'block' the variant. Results showed the neutralising response of antibodies was around 1.5 times lower to NB.1.8.1 compared to another recent variant, LP.8.1.1. This means it's possible a person infected with NB.1.8.1 may be more likely to pass the virus on to someone else, compared to earlier variants. What are the symptoms? The evidence so far suggests NB.1.8.1 may spread more easily and may partially sidestep immunity from prior infections or vaccination. These factors could explain its rise in sequencing data. But importantly, the WHO has not yet observed any evidence it causes more severe disease compared to other variants. Reports suggest symptoms of NB.1.8.1 should align closely with other Omicron subvariants. Common symptoms include sore throat, fatigue, fever, mild cough, muscle aches, and nasal congestion. Gastrointestinal symptoms may also occur in some cases. How about the vaccine? There's potential for this variant to play a significant role in Australia's winter respiratory season. Public health responses remain focused on close monitoring, continued genomic sequencing, and promoting the uptake of updated covid boosters. Even if neutralising antibody levels are modestly reduced against NB.1.8.1, the WHO has noted current covid vaccines should still protect against severe disease with this variant. The most recent booster available in Australia and many other countries targets JN.1, from which NB.1.8.1 is descended. So it makes sense it should still offer good protection. Ahead of winter and with a new variant on the scene, now may be a good time to consider another covid booster if you're eligible. For some people, particularly those who are medically vulnerable, covid can still be a serious disease. Lara Herrero, Associate Professor and Research Leader in Virology and Infectious Disease, Griffith University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Washington Post
25-05-2025
- General
- Washington Post
Asking Eric: Casket photo creates rift in family
Dear Eric: Several years ago, my mother-in-law died due to dementia. During the time of her illness, my husband and I took care of everything, including selling her house, auctioning off her estate, dealing with her boyfriend who could never admit she had dementia, and dealing with the covid restrictions for visiting her. Of note, my brother-in-law lives in the Upper Midwest; we, and his mother, live in Florida. The burden was put on us, not him. On the day of her viewing, it was only my husband and me. I took pictures of her lying peacefully in her casket and forwarded them on to my brother-in-law. I got a scathing email from my brother-in-law saying that he had specifically asked not to send pictures of her dead. He only wanted to remember her healthy (how convenient). To be honest with you, I didn't remember that conversation as I was too stressed out from the whole ordeal. I feel guilty for sending the pictures but not really sorry for doing it because they finally had to deal with her passing firsthand. They did not have to live the ordeal like we did. I felt like the pictures were something I needed to share. Should I feel guilty for sending them, because I still do? — Photo Regret Photo: Guilt is not a very useful emotion. It's good information, sometimes, but what matters is what we do about the guilt, internally and externally. I know that the complicated process of settling your mother-in-law's affairs, particularly during covid lockdown, was hard for you. But you've got to acknowledge that what your brother-in-law is dealing with, including his own denial about his mother's illness, is hard, too. There's no hierarchy of suffering. You can start to alleviate some of that suffering — yours and theirs — by reaching out, apologizing and trying to make amends. In the grand scheme, you owe each other apologies. They didn't show up for your mother-in-law in the ways that would have been helpful, and that's not fair. But you don't get to dictate how your brother-in-law remembers his mother or how he processes his grief. Your actions, as you've described them, weren't malicious, but it's important to acknowledge their impact. Dear Eric: I'm friends with a pair of sisters, but closer with one than the other. Recently I invited them to a weekend getaway, where we were to be treated to a private chef's dinner. Less Close Sister immediately announced that she's 'avoiding gluten,' which obviously complicated our menu. On the drive up, she recounted her 'cheat night' with plenty of gluten the evening before, and happily consumed a (gluten-containing) lunch. I know there's no right way to say, 'your dietary needs seem to only pop up when you can be an inconvenience/pain in the butt,' but I'm really soured on traveling with her again, although I like her. Suggestions? — Gluten-tolerant Gluten-tolerant: The easiest solution is just not to have a private chef's dinner, or, to let the chef figure out what to cook to meet everyone's dietary needs. Isn't that the chef's job anyway? It's quite a leap to go from putting together a private dinner to swearing off traveling with this person again. Sometimes, when our opinions about people change, any little thing they do can become a point of annoyance. I wonder if that might be happening here. Something to consider. Dear Eric: 'Carpooling' wants to be reimbursed for gas for a 30-mile round-trip journey to pick up a friend's disabled son from the bus stop. The request from the 'dear friend' doesn't happen very often. My two cents are this: Losing or even offending a 'dear friend' isn't worth any price, let alone the price of a few gallons of gas ($10 or less). True friends grant favor requests, when possible, and usually without expecting anything in return. If it becomes a regular request, then definitely broach the subject, but a rare request is truly a 'favor,' and granting favors has a way of coming back to you. Instead, 'Carpooling' could think of this favor as a meal she might take to her friend if she were sick (and would likely spend more than $10 in that case). — Dear Friends are Priceless Priceless: Ten dollars is not the same everywhere nor is it the same to every budget. The letter writer isn't just complaining; the letter states that the frequency of the requests, combined with the amount, created a financial hardship. It's important to remember that everyone's finances are different and one person's easy favor is another person's stretch. The pricelessness of dear friends goes both ways; if I had a dear friend whose load I could lighten by covering the price of gas, I'd leap at the opportunity to do so. (Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at eric@ or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at 2025 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Verge
21-05-2025
- Health
- The Verge
The FDA is making it more difficult for Americans to get vaccinated for covid
The Trump administration is working to limit access to covid booster shots by creating more regulatory hoops for companies developing vaccines for 'healthy persons.' The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it's only prioritizing covid vaccine approvals for adults older than 65 and others over the age of 6 months who have at least one 'risk factor' for a severe case of covid-19. 'The FDA will approve vaccines for high-risk persons and, at the same time, demand robust, gold-standard data on persons at low risk,' FDA officials write in commentary laying out their plans in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). The move comes as notorious antivax crusader Robert F. Kennedy reshapes the US Department of Health and Human Services, recently pushing out the FDA's top vaccine official and thousands of other federal health workers. Some public health experts are already voicing skepticism over whether the FDA's new guidance for covid boosters will reap any benefits. 'This is overly restrictive and will deny many people who want to be vaccinated a vaccine.' 'This is overly restrictive and will deny many people who want to be vaccinated a vaccine,' Anna Durbin, director of the Center for Immunization Research at Johns Hopkins University, said in an email to the New York Times. 'The only thing that can come of this will make vaccines less insurable and less available,' Paul Offit, a vaccine scientist, virologist, and professor of pediatrics at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, told The Associated Press. The FDA says it will require more data from additional clinical trials before approvals can be granted for covid-19 vaccines being developed for people not considered to be at heightened risk from severe sickness. It says 100 to 200 million Americans will still have annual access to covid vaccines after its policy change. That would be less than 60 percent of the US population. Last week, the agency approved the Novavax covid-19 vaccine for only older adults and people at higher risk from the disease. 'We simply don't know whether a healthy 52-year-old woman with a normal BMI who has had Covid-19 three times and has received six previous doses of a Covid-19 vaccine will benefit from the seventh dose,' the NEJM commentary says. But previous CDC studies have shown that getting a booster can help prevent mild to moderate cases of covid up to six months after getting the shot regardless of whether a person is at higher risk or not, Offit tells The Associated Press. And even if someone does get sick, being vaccinated can make the illness shorter and less severe and reduce the risk of developing long covid, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate of covid-19-associated hospitalizations was 71.2 per 100,000 people during the 2024–25 season, according to the CDC — although hospitals haven't been required to report covid-related hospital admissions to HHS since May of last year. Vaccines are an important safeguard for people with a weakened immune system. The FDA's new directive raises questions about whether people considered healthy will be able to get vaccinated if they want to protect someone close to them who's at greater risk. In the NEJM article, the FDA notes that covid booster uptake has been low in the US, with less than a quarter of people getting the shot each year. 'There may even be a ripple effect: public trust in vaccination in general has declined,' it says. 'It has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the Secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies,' Peter Marks, former director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) that regulates vaccines, wrote in a resignation letter in March.
The Verge
20-05-2025
- Health
- The Verge
The FDA is making it more difficult for many Americans to get vaccinated for covid
The Trump administration is working to limit access to covid booster shots by creating more regulatory hoops for companies developing vaccines for 'healthy persons.' The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it's only prioritizing covid vaccine approvals for adults older than 65 and others over the age of 6 months who have at least one 'risk factor' for a severe case of covid-19. 'The FDA will approve vaccines for high-risk persons and, at the same time, demand robust, gold-standard data on persons at low risk,' FDA officials write in commentary laying out their plans in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). The move comes as notorious antivax crusader Robert F. Kennedy reshapes the US Department of Health and Human Services, recently pushing out the FDA's top vaccine official and thousands of other federal health workers. Some public health experts are already voicing skepticism over whether the FDA's new guidance for covid boosters will reap any benefits. ''This is overly restrictive and will deny many people who want to be vaccinated a vaccine.' 'This is overly restrictive and will deny many people who want to be vaccinated a vaccine,' Anna Durbin, director of the Center for Immunization Research at Johns Hopkins University, said in an email to the New York Times. 'The only thing that can come of this will make vaccines less insurable and less available,' Paul Offit, a vaccine scientist, virologist, and professor of pediatrics at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, told The Associated Press. The FDA says it will require more data from additional clinical trials before approvals can be granted for covid-19 vaccines being developed for people not considered to be at heightened risk from severe sickness. It says 100 to 200 million Americans will still have annual access to covid vaccines after its policy change. That would be less than 60 percent of the US population. Last week, the agency approved the Novavax covid-19 vaccine for only older adults and people at higher risk from the disease. 'We simply don't know whether a healthy 52-year-old woman with a normal BMI who has had Covid-19 three times and has received six previous doses of a Covid-19 vaccine will benefit from the seventh dose,' the NEJM commentary says. But previous CDC studies have shown that getting a booster can help prevent mild to moderate cases of covid up to six months after getting the shot regardless of whether a person is at higher risk or not, Offit tells The Associated Press. And even if someone does get sick, being vaccinated can make the illness shorter and less severe and reduce the risk of developing long covid, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate of covid-19-associated hospitalizations was 71.2 per 100,000 people during the 2024–25 season, according to the CDC — although hospitals haven't been required to report covid-related hospital admissions to HHS since May of last year. Vaccines are an important safeguard for people with a weakened immune system. The FDA's new directive raises questions about whether people considered healthy will be able to get vaccinated if they want to protect someone close to them who's at greater risk. In the NEJM article, the FDA notes that covid booster uptake has been low in the US, with less than a quarter of people getting the shot each year. 'There may even be a ripple effect: public trust in vaccination in general has declined,' it says. 'It has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the Secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies,' Peter Marks, former director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) that regulates vaccines, wrote in a resignation letter in March.
