U.S. reports cases of new COVID variant NB.1.8.1 behind surge in China

CBS News

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s airport screening program has detected multiple cases of the new COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1, which has been linked to a large surge of the virus in China.
Cases of NB.1.8.1 have also now been reported by health authorities in other states, including Ohio, Rhode Island and Hawaii, separate from the airport cases.
Experts have been closely watching the variant, which is now dominant in China and is on the rise in parts of Asia.
Health authorities in Taiwan have also reported a rise in emergency room visits, severe cases and deaths.
Vaccines from last season targeted a descendant of the JN.1 variant called KP.2.

POSITIVE

Multiple cases of the novel COVID-19 variant NB have been found through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s airport screening program. 1:8. 1. This has been connected to a significant increase in the virus in China.

incidents involving the NB. 1 point 8. According to data submitted by the CDC’s airport testing partner Ginkgo Bioworks, one variant has been identified in arriving foreign visitors at airports in California, Washington state, Virginia, and the New York City region.

The Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data, or GISAID, virus database has released details of the sequencing results in recent weeks. These results indicate that travelers from a variety of countries, including Japan, South Korea, France, Thailand, the Netherlands, Spain, Vietnam, China, and Taiwan, are responsible for the cases. The records indicate that the travelers were tested between April 22 and May 12.

When CBS News reached out to the CDC for comment, a representative did not immediately reply.

NB cases. 1:8. Separate from the airport cases, health officials in other states, such as Ohio, Rhode Island, and Hawaii, have now also reported 1. The earliest cases were in late March and early April in Washington and California.

Experts have been keeping a close eye on the variant, which is currently prevalent in China and is becoming more prevalent in other Asian countries. Due to a “significant increase” in COVID-19-related hospitalizations and ER visits, Hong Kong officials report that COVID-19 rates have reached their highest levels in at least a year.

Although Hong Kong officials claim there is no proof the variant, which is a descendant of the virus’s XDV lineage, is more serious, they have started to advise locals to wear masks in crowded areas and on public transit as the number of cases has increased.

Taiwanese health officials have also noted an increase in ER visits, serious illnesses, and fatalities. In response to the epidemic wave, local health authorities say they are accumulating vaccines and antiviral medications.

Chinese researchers have provided preliminary data that points to the NB. 1 point 8. Variant 1 has a higher capacity to attach to human cells, indicating that it may be more transmissible, but it is not more adept at eluding the immune system than other strains that are becoming more prevalent.

“A more dependable pattern.”.

As they debated whether and how to suggest updating COVID-19 vaccines for the upcoming fall and winter seasons, the strain was brought up several times during a meeting of the Food and Drug Administration’s outside vaccine advisers on Thursday.

A descendant of the JN was the target of last season’s vaccines. One variation is known as KP. 2. According to preliminary data that Pfizer and Moderna provided to the committee, a different JN should be used. One descendant, known as LP, has been in the lead in recent months. Protection against NB may be improved by 8.1. 1:8. 1 as well.

The LP. The vaccine with the highest titers against LP is 8.1. The dominant team in the U.S. is 8point 1. S. and numerous other areas, as well as cross-neutralizes other circulating variants, such as NB. 1–8. 1. A dominant JN. One subvariant in many Asian countries,” Moderna’s COVID-19 program lead, Darin Edwards, informed the panel.

The committee unanimously supported the suggestion that vaccines for the upcoming season should target JN of some kind. One variant, but opinions differed on the specifics. While some advocated for the update to target the LP, others supported letting vaccine manufacturers continue using the vaccines from the previous season. descendant of JN 8.1. 1 prototyped by Moderna and Pfizer.

“Evolution is unpredictable, and it’s impossible to predict how this will continue to diversify, but the overwhelming likelihood is that whatever does emerge and take center stage in the coming months, six months, or year will originate from something that’s currently in circulation. “It will not originate from something that is no longer in existence,” stated Jerry Weir, the director of the FDA’s viral products division.

Currently, only one strain—a variant known as XFC—has been substantially expanding in the United States, according to CDC and FDA officials who spoke to the panel. S. . However, even as the nation has stabilized into a fairly predictable pattern of two annual surges—one during the summer and one during the winter—they warned that the virus’s evolution has been unpredictable.

The virus only underwent evolutionary “drift” this past season, rather than the kind of widespread replacements brought about by highly mutated strains in some previous years. Despite an increase over the winter, COVID-19 trends were still far below their historical highs.

In contrast to the previous two years, we did not observe the strain replacement during this winter. However, Natalie Thornburg of the CDC informed the panel, “I’m not saying that the virus won’t shift again in the near future. Thornburg is the acting head of the CDC’s coronavirus and other respiratory virus laboratory branch.

COVID-19 rates, as determined by ER visits and wastewater testing, have now returned to low levels across the country.

Citing a “seasonality analysis” the agency has been working on regarding the virus, Thornburg stated, “I do think after five years now, we are seeing very distinct patterns that [are] falling into a more predictable pattern.”.

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