Scientists are tracking the threat.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a caution regarding a rise in infections linked to a newly detected COVID-19 variant.
The variant, known as NB.1.8.1, has been identified in several regions, including parts of the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and the Western Pacific. U.S. airport screenings have also detected the variant in travelers coming from these areas, with destinations including California, Washington, Virginia, and New York, according to the Associated Press.
By mid-May, NB.1.8.1 accounted for nearly 11% of sequenced global COVID-19 cases. WHO has classified it as a “variant under monitoring,” currently estimating its global health risk as low. Health experts anticipate that existing vaccines will continue to offer protection against the variant.
In a separate development, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that federal health officials will no longer advise COVID-19 vaccinations for healthy children or pregnant individuals. At present, the Food and Drug Administration recommends COVID-19 boosters primarily for people aged 65 and older or those with underlying conditions that elevate their risk of severe illness.
“WHO continues to closely observe new SARS-CoV-2 strains and assesses their risk with guidance from the Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution,” the organization explained in a recent update. “Current analysis of LP.8.1 and the newly monitored NB.1.8.1 indicates no higher risk to public health compared to other variants in circulation.”
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