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WHO Tracks NB.1.8.1 Variant as Global COVID-19 Cases Rise

Health officials say existing COVID-19 vaccines are expected to remain effective against NB.1.8.1.

Personal sanitario trabajando en UCI del Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau en 2020.
Archivo - Imagen de archivo de una persona sometiéndose a un test de coronavirus en China.
"No hay evidencia de que NB.1.8.1 cause casos más graves"

Overview

  • NB.1.8.1 was first detected on January 22, 2025, as a recombinant offshoot of XDV.1.5.1 and placed under the WHO’s TAG-VE risk assessment.
  • By May 18, 518 NB.1.8.1 sequences from 22 countries made up 10.7% of global COVID-19 samples, with the fastest growth in the Western Pacific, Americas and Europe.
  • The WHO assesses the public health risk as low and reports no evidence that NB.1.8.1 causes more severe illness than other circulating variants.
  • Member states are urged to conduct neutralization tests to gauge antibody response and to monitor vaccine effectiveness and clinical severity indicators.
  • Patients infected with NB.1.8.1 report typical COVID-19 symptoms alongside pronounced fatigue and gastrointestinal discomfort.