New Covid variant from China 'more transmissible and has reached US'

NewsNew Covid variant from China 'more transmissible and has reached US'The California Department of Public Health has confirmed the new variant, called the NB.1.8.1 strain, is present in

the state of California and is 'more transmissible' than earlier strainsgetsurreyBookmarkShareCommentsNewsByMichael D. CarrollDebadrita Sur01:10, 4 JUN 2025BookmarkA perilous new COVID-19

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A perilous new COVID-19 variant, originating from China and now making its way to the US and could soon strike the UK, is "more transmissible," according to medical experts.

Since March, this new variant, known as the NB. 1.8.1 strain, has been identified in international travellers arriving in New York, Washington state, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Hawaii.

California has become the sixth state to detect the variant, with the California Department of Public Health issuing a warning about this highly contagious strain.

"In other words, it is more transmissible," Verma further explained.

Health officials have noted that the variant was first detected in March and has seen a steady increase since 1 May, reports the Express US.

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In California, cases have surged from two percent to 19% since April, according to officials.

This strain is more infectious than those currently circulating, potentially leading to an increase in hospitalisations and infections.

Data from the World Health Organisation indicates that it constitutes more than half of the strains currently in circulation, prompting California to call for the reintroduction of masks as

a protective measure.

The California Public Health Department has reassured that the "currently available vaccines are expected to remain effective," despite Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy

Jr.

's move to restrict access for healthy children and pregnant women.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has yet to begin tracking the NB. 1.8.1 variant, while LP.

8.1 has become the most prevalent strain in the US, accounting for 73% of COVID-19 cases.

Symptoms of these variants mirror those of previous ones, including fever, cough, chills, nausea, shortness of breath, congestion, diarrhoea, headache, loss of smell or taste, fatigue, and

more.

The World Health Organization has stated that "Currently approved COVID-19 vaccines are expected to remain effective to this variant against symptomatic and severe disease," and considers

the threat posed by it as "low at the global level."

Nevertheless, WHO has categorised it as a "variant under monitoring" due to its mutations and worldwide spread.

Despite its presence in 22 countries, no travel restrictions have been imposed on the variant.

China has seen a rise in respiratory illnesses from 3.3 to 6.3 percent, with a notable increase in emergency room patients testing positive for COVID.

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