New COVID-19 Variant NB.1.8.1 Hits U.S. Amid Low ER Visits

A new COVID-19 variant, NB.1.8.1, has crept into the U.S., with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirming a handful of cases. This strain, tied to a recent surge in China and Hong Kong, was spotted through vigilant monitoring, though it’s not yet prominent enough to grace the CDC’s COVID Data Tracker. With fewer than 20 sequences detected, it’s a small player for now, but the CDC is keeping a sharp eye on its spread.

While the variant’s presence raises eyebrows, the CDC reports that emergency room visits for COVID-19, influenza, and RSV remain very low across the U.S. Wastewater testing, a sneaky way to gauge viral activity, shows most states at low or very low levels, with only South Dakota registering a high viral pulse. The CDC predicts ER visits will stay quiet for the next couple of weeks, but NB.1.8.1’s global footprint keeps health officials on edge.

In Hong Kong, authorities are urging high-risk folks to mask up, though they’re quick to note there’s no evidence this variant is more dangerous than its predecessors. Still, its rapid spread in China has global health experts watching closely, wondering if NB.1.8.1 will stay a minor blip or become a bigger headache.