The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed the presence of the COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1 in the United States, though fewer than 20 cases have been identified. This variant, dominant in China, has led to a resurgence there, prompting concern globally.
While NB.1.8.1 is a sub-lineage of the XDV lineage and has been circulating internationally, the number of cases in the US has not yet warranted inclusion in the CDC's COVID Data Tracker dashboard. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies NB.1.8.1 as a "variant under monitoring," noting increased cases and hospitalizations but not a rise in severity compared to other circulating Omicron variants. Current vaccines are expected to remain effective.
Health officials in India have also responded to reports, urging preparedness but stressing that symptoms are typically mild. The WHO and various health authorities emphasize that currently available evidence does not suggest any additional public health risks. Some experts caution, however, about the accuracy of data coming from China, questioning reported mortality figures.
One new symptom associated with NB.1.8.1 is a sharp, burning sore throat. While there is an observed increase in cases and hospitalizations in some areas where this variant is prevalent, this does not seem to indicate any increase in disease severity. Experts like Dr. Li Tongzeng anticipate a peak in the resurgence in late May. Dr. Jonathan Liu raises questions about reported mortality figures from China, finding them unusually low given the population density.
The number of cases “has not met the threshold for inclusion in the COVID Data Tracker dashboard,' a CDC spokesperson said.
A COVID-19 variant that has led to a resurgence in cases in China has been discovered in the United States, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed, but the agency indicated that fewer than 20 cases have been found in the United States so far.
A spokesperson for the CDC told The Epoch Times on May 25 that the agency “is aware of reported cases of COVID-19 NB.1.8.1 in China and is in regular contact with international partners.”
Some cases of NB.1.8.1 have been found in the United States, the spokesperson said, noting that it’s “fewer than 20 sequences in the U.S. baseline surveillance data to date.”
“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,” the spokesperson said.
The NB.1.8.1 strain is a derivative of the XDV COVID-19 lineage, and sub-lineages have been circulating for months around the world, including in mainland China.
Dr. Li Tongzeng, head of the Infectious Diseases Department at Beijing You’an Hospital, told Chinese state-run media that the resurgence of COVID-19 is expected to peak sometime in late May.
Dr. Jonathan Liu, professor at the Canadian College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and director of Kang Mei TCM Clinic, said data published by Chinese health officials in March appear to be inaccurate or misleading, noting that only a few fatalities have been reported.
“With normal epidemic rates, such a low figure is implausible,” Liu told The Epoch Times last week.
“Canada, with a sparse population and good sanitation, reported 1,915 COVID deaths from August last year to May this year—more than 200 per month.
“How could China, with its dense population, have only seven deaths monthly?”
The WHO also noted that “while there are reported increases in cases and hospitalizations” in reporting countries, “there are no reports to suggest that the associated disease severity is higher as compared to other circulating variants.”
The WHO document, dated May 29, did not specifically name any countries affected by the strain.
“The available evidence on NB.1.8.1 does not suggest additional public health risks relative to the other currently circulating Omicron descendant lineages,” the WHO stated, referring to the COVID-19 variant that emerged in late 2021.
Currently approved vaccines are expected to be effective against the variant, according to the WHO document.
“Despite a concurrent increase in cases and hospitalizations in some countries where NB.1.8.1 is widespread,” the WHO stated, “current data do not indicate that this variant leads to more severe illness than other variants in circulation.”
Health officials in India have also responded to reports that the variant has led to a resurgence in China. In an interview with the PTI news agency, Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Singh said on May 26 that there is no need to panic.
“There is no need to worry. Covid caused by the new variant is similar to a normal viral illness. The patients who have come in so far are experiencing mild symptoms like fever, cough, and cold.”
Mary Man contributed to this report.
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