WASHINGTON: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed that the recent surge in COVID-19 cases has been caused by a new variant of the coronavirus, named NB.1.8.1. Concerns have risen again as the number of patients visiting hospitals in China continues to increase. The presence of the virus was first detected among international travellers who arrived at U.S airports in the last days of March and the beginning of April.

COVID-19 cases were also reported among international travellers who arrived in California, Washington, Virginia, and New York City. In addition, more cases have been identified in Rhode Island and Hawaii. Although the total number of reported cases in the U.S. remains low, Dr Subhash Verma, a professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Nevada, warned that this variant has a higher transmission rate.

The CDC has uncovered more details regarding this. It was found that travellers infected with NB.1.8.1 had also visited countries such as Japan, South Korea, France, Thailand, Vietnam, Spain, and the Netherlands. This raises the possibility of the virus spreading globally. Although the number of infected individuals has significantly increased in some foreign countries, experts note that this variant is not more severe compared to previous ones. Meanwhile, Hong Kong has also reported a rise in COVID cases, with 81 cases and 30 deaths reported in the past four weeks. Most of the deceased were over the age of 65.