A newly emerging, highly contagious strain of COVID-19 that has been driving up hospital admissions in China has now made its way to the United States, with infections confirmed in multiple locations including New York City, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Known as NB.1.81, the variant was initially identified in the U.S. between late March and early April, discovered in travelers arriving through airports in California, Virginia, Washington, and New York City. Further cases have since been documented in states such as Rhode Island, Ohio, and Hawaii.
The CDC reported that the number of U.S. cases remains too limited to include in its regular variant tracking reports. However, medical professionals caution that the strain’s aggressive spread in China indicates it may transmit more rapidly than other dominant COVID-19 variants.
Public health experts began monitoring NB.1.8.1 closely once it overtook other strains as the most common variant in China, resulting in widespread infections throughout Asia.
Health officials in Hong Kong have observed a sharp rise in COVID-related hospital visits and ER cases over the past month, saying the current surge is the most severe in at least a year.
Reports from Hong Kong noted 81 serious cases and 30 deaths within four weeks, with elderly individuals — especially those 65 and older — comprising the bulk of those affected.
Mainland Chinese data show that the percentage of emergency room patients testing positive for COVID has more than doubled recently, climbing from 7.5% to over 16%. Hospitalization rates have also risen to above 6%, according to the state-affiliated China Daily newspaper.
Despite these alarming figures, Hong Kong authorities, under the influence of Beijing, attempted to minimize concerns, insisting that NB.1.81 does not appear to cause more severe illness compared to earlier variants.
“What they’re seeing in China, Hong Kong and some other areas where this variant has really surged, is an increase in hospitalization,” Dr. Amy Edwards, a pediatrics professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, told CBS News.
CDC testing of international travelers has provided insight into the variant’s international spread, with infections linked to visits in countries like China, France, South Korea, Thailand, the Netherlands, Japan, Spain, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
As with earlier strains of the virus, NB.1.81 can lead to symptoms such as fever, sore throat, fatigue, and coughing.
Subhash Verma, a professor at the University of Nevada specializing in microbiology and immunology, commented on the variant’s potential: “It appears to have a growth advantage, suggesting it may spread more easily.”
“In other words, it is more transmissible,” she told CBS News.
Both Verma and Edwards stressed that, at this stage, there is no evidence suggesting the variant causes more severe illness than previous strains.
Dr. Edwin Tsui, who heads Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection, cautioned against complacency, stating the new strain “should not be taken lightly.” He emphasized concerns that the virus might have adapted further to escape current vaccine protections.
“The CHP will continue to closely monitor the situation of the variant strains in accordance with the World Health Organization’s recommendation, and be cautious of the possible emergence of more virulent or vaccine-mismatched strains of the virus in the future,” he stated.
This development coincides with a new policy shift announced by the Trump administration, which will now limit annual COVID-19 booster recommendations to elderly individuals and those deemed medically vulnerable.
On Tuesday, the CDC confirmed it will stop advising healthy children and pregnant women to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
{Matzav.com}