New COVID-19 Variant May Be Driving Up Cases in Some Parts of the World: WHO

The NB.1.8.1 variant is currently the dominant strain in China, data has shown.

This scanning electron microscope image shows the virus that causes COVID-19 (yellow) isolated from a patient in the United States, emerging from the surface of cells (blue/pink) cultured in the lab. NIAID-RML/CC BY 2.0

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on May 28 that a new COVID-19 strain that is dominant in China appears to be driving up cases in parts of the world and is currently spreading in Southeast Asia, the western Pacific regions, and the Mediterranean.

The new variant, called NB.1.8.1, has led to a resurgence of the virus in China in recent weeks, officials have said. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told The Epoch Times earlier this week that the variant has been detected in the United States and that about 20 sequences have been found so far.