Several cases of the new COVID-19 variant– which has been linked to a large surge of viral infection in China– have been detected at US airports, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Cases linked to the NB.1.8.1 variant of COVID-19 were detected through the CDC’s airport screening program in foreign travellers arriving at airports in Washington state, California, the New York City area and Virginia, according to CBS News.
According to data available on the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID), most of the cases are stemming from travellers from countries, including Japan, South Korea, France, China, and others. The testing was done between April 22 and May 12.
Moreover, cases of the NB.1.8.1 variant have also been reported in other US states, including Ohio, Rhode Island and Hawaii, the CBS report said. These cases are reportedly separate from the airport cases.
Health authorities in the US are now closely monitoring the variant, which is now dominant in China and is on the rise in parts of Asia, including Hong Kong, where Covid-19 cases have climbed to the worst levels seen in at least a year.
Early studies show that NB.1.8.1– which is part of the JN.1 group of variants– may spread more easily than other variants. However, it doesn’t seem to cause severe illness, and many vaccines in the market already target it.
Cases Low In The US For Now
“CDC is aware of reported cases of COVID-19 NB.1.8.1 in China and is in regular contact with international partners,” a spokesperson of the American health agency said in a statement.
However, in a separate statement to Fox News Digital, the CDC spokesperson said that there have been fewer than 20 sequences of NB.1.8.1 in the US baseline surveillance data to date, so it has not met the threshold for inclusion in the COVID Data Tracker dashboard.
“We monitor all SARS-CoV-2 sequences, and if it increases in proportion, it will appear on the Data Tracker dashboard,” they said.
Meanwhile, authorities in the US are also monitoring a variant called XFC, which has been significantly growing in the country. Authorities have warned that the evolution of the virus has been unpredictable, even as the US has settled into a relatively predictable pattern of two surges a year– once in the summer and once over the winter.
COVID-19 Deaths Are High
Per the CDC’s data, coronavirus infection has killed an average of 350 Americans every week over the last month. The agency said that while the casualties are significant, infections are declining and are less than the peak of 25,974 deaths that took place in the week ending January 9, 2021, as well as weekly deaths that occurred in prior spring months.
The experts said that some of the high death rates in the US due to viral infection may be attributed to low vaccination uptake, waning immunity and not enough people accessing treatments.
