New COVID Variant NB.1.8.1: A Summer Surge on the Horizon?
New COVID Variant NB.1.8.1: A Summer Surge on the Horizon? A new COVID-19 variant, NB.1.8.1, is rapidly gaining ground in the United States. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that it now accounts for a significant 37% of all COVID-19 cases, trailing only the currently dominant LP.8.1 variant by a mere percentage point. First identified in late January and designated a “variant of interest” by the World Health Organization (WHO) in mid-May, NB.1.8.1’s surge is…