New COVID Variant NB.1.8.1 Begins to Spread Globally: What We Know So Far
Officials in several countries near China have expressed concern about the variant
The World Health Organization (WHO) says a variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 called NB.1.8.1 is causing a surge in infections worldwide, as China’s health agency says it is becoming the dominant variant.
The new variant was classified as a “variant under surveillance” by the UN health agency last week, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed a small number of cases have been detected in the US.
WHO Says New Variant Starting to Spread
The WHO said in an update on May 28 that the variant is causing an increase in cases in several regions of the world and is now spreading in Southeast Asia, the western Pacific and the Mediterranean.
“The recent increase has been observed in four countries and territories so far: Cambodia, China, Hong Kong … and Singapore,” the WHO said.
The LP.8.1 variant is now the dominant variant globally, according to the WHO. But neither LP.8.1 nor NB.1.8.1 has shown signs of posing “an increased public health risk” compared to other circulating variants, the UN health agency said.
Reports from China
In its latest update, the China CDC said that NB.1.8.1 accounts for the majority of cases in China, while some Chinese doctors have cited a very sore throat as one of the most commonly reported symptoms in state media.
The China CDC has been criticized for years for its lack of transparency in reporting case and death rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Trump administration and some U.S. intelligence officials have said the virus likely originated in a high-level laboratory in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, before the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attempted to cover up and downplay its impact.
Some foreign experts have also questioned the accuracy of the regime’s reported death and case numbers since the start of the pandemic in early 2020.
Dr. Jonathan Liu, a professor at the Canadian College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and director of the Kang Mei TCM Clinic, said that official data for March showed only seven people died from COVID-19 that month.
“With a normal outbreak rate, such a low number doesn’t make sense,” Liu told The Epoch Times. “Canada, with its sparse population and good sanitation, recorded 1,915 COVID deaths from August last year to May this year—more than 200 per month. How can China, with its high population density, have only seven deaths per month?”
China’s CDC also “has not reported the severe case rate, hospitalization rate, or death rate,” according to Sean Lin, an assistant professor in Fei Tian College’s Department of Biomedical Sciences, a former U.S. Army microbiologist, and a contributor to The Epoch Times.
Other countries “cannot know the real situation” in China because of the CCP’s efforts to downplay the real COVID-19 situation at home, he added.
The WHO’s latest update noted that cases of the new variant are increasing in the Western Pacific region, which includes China.
Responses from Other Governments
Officials in South Korea said on May 30 that their government was closely monitoring COVID-19 cases in China and Hong Kong, while the country’s National Center for Disaster Management and Safety held a morning meeting on the situation.
“COVID-19 cases are increasing in several neighboring countries, including Hong Kong, China, and Thailand, which is worrying,” Lee Han-kyung, Second Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of the Interior and Security, told the JoongAng Daily. “People 65 and older, as well as residents of high-risk facilities, should be vaccinated immediately to prevent severe illness and death.”
The Korean Medical Association also expressed “concern” due to large fluctuations in daily temperatures and “increased mobility of people due to domestic and international travel.”
“There is a great concern about the resurgence of COVID-19, and with increased indoor activity due to hot weather, the risk of spreading respiratory infections may increase,” the association told the JoongAng Daily.
In India, Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Singh told news agency PTI on May 26 that there was no need to panic about the variant.
“We have directed hospitals to be ready with beds, oxygen, essential medicines and equipment, as part of standard preparedness,” he said. “There is no need to worry. COVID due to the new variant is similar to a common viral disease. Patients who have come so far have mild symptoms such as fever, cough and cold.”
This week, officials in Taiwan issued a warning about COVID-19, saying people in the country should wear masks and wash their hands. Taiwanese officials had also reported a rise in cases earlier this month.
CDC: Case Counts Still Low
U.S. officials have appeared to downplay the significance of the new variant, saying it is no worse than other variants currently circulating.
In a statement to The Epoch Times, a CDC spokesperson said the health agency is “aware of reports of COVID-19 NB.1.8.1 cases in China and is in regular contact with international partners.”
The variant has not yet met the threshold for inclusion in the CDC’s COVID data tracker. “We monitor all SARS-CoV-2 sequences, and if they increase proportionately, this variant will appear on the Data Tracker dashboard,” the spokesperson added, noting that fewer than 20 sequences of the variant have been identified so far. (asr)
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