Worrying Covid-19 Variant Hits the U.S. Just in Time for Summer

A new variant of covid-19, NB.1.8.1, is stirring up trouble. The variant, already linked to recent surges in parts of Asia, has now been spotted in the U.S. as well. The World Health Organization singled out the growing emergence of NB.1.8.1 in its latest status report on covid-19 Wednesday. Scientists have also recently detected NB.1.8.1 in California and other states. Though NB.1.8.1 isn’t dramatically different from existing variants, the WHO warns that covid-19 remains a high public health risk. So far, fewer than 20 NB.1.8.1 cases in the U.S. have been reported, the CDC told NBC News this past Wednesday. But the variant is linked to a spike in cases and hospitalizations in other countries like China. And compared to other current variants, NB.1.8.1 may possess some mutations that could increase its transmissibility. The WHO first recognized NB.1.8.1 as a variant under monitoring last week, though it was first detected in late January. More recently, it’s become an increasing th ... Read full article.