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

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's airdrome screening programme has detected aggregate cases of the caller COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1, which has been linked to a ample surge of the microorganism successful China. 

Cases linked to the NB.1.8.1 variant person been reported successful arriving planetary travelers astatine airports successful California, Washington state, Virginia and the New York City area, according to records uploaded by the CDC's airdrome investigating spouse Ginkgo Bioworks.

Details astir the sequencing results, which were published successful caller weeks connected the GISAID, oregon Global Initiative connected Sharing All Influenza Data, microorganism database, amusement the cases stem from travelers from a fig of countries, including Japan, South Korea, France, Thailand, the Netherlands, Spain, Vietnam, China and Taiwan. The travelers were tested from April 22 done May 12, the records show.

A spokesperson for the CDC did not instantly respond to CBS News' petition for comment.

Cases of NB.1.8.1 person besides present been reported by wellness authorities successful different states, including Ohio, Rhode Island and Hawaii, abstracted from the airdrome cases. In California and Washington state, the earliest cases day backmost to precocious March and aboriginal April.

Experts person been closely watching the variant, which is present ascendant successful China and is connected the emergence successful parts of Asia. Hong Kong authorities accidental that rates of COVID-19 successful the metropolis person climbed to the worst levels they person seen successful astatine slightest a year, aft a "significant increase" successful reported exigency country visits and hospitalizations driven by COVID-19. 

While authorities successful Hong Kong say determination is nary grounds that the variant, a descendant of the XDV lineage of the virus, is much severe, they person begun urging residents to disguise erstwhile successful nationalist proscription oregon crowded places arsenic cases person climbed.

Health authorities successful Taiwan person also reported a emergence successful exigency country visits, terrible cases and deaths. Local wellness authorities accidental they are stockpiling vaccines and antiviral treatments successful effect to the epidemic wave.

Preliminary data from researchers successful China suggest the NB.1.8.1 variant is not amended astatine evading the immune strategy compared to different strains connected the rise, but it does person a greater quality to hindrance to quality cells, suggesting it could beryllium much transmissible.

"A much predictable pattern"

The strain came up aggregate times during a Thursday meeting of the Food and Drug Administration's extracurricular vaccine advisers, arsenic they wrestled with whether and however to urge updating COVID-19 vaccines for the coming autumn and wintertime seasons.

Vaccines from last season targeted a descendant of the JN.1 variant called KP.2. Early information presented to the committee by Pfizer and Moderna suggested switching to a antithetic JN.1 descendant that has been ascendant successful caller months, called LP.8.1, could boost extortion against NB.1.8.1, too. 

"The LP.8.1 vaccine has the highest titers against LP.8.1, which is ascendant successful the U.S. and galore different regions and cross-neutralizes different presently circulating variants, including NB.1.8.1, a ascendant JN.1 subvariant successful galore Asian countries," Darin Edwards, pb of Moderna's COVID-19 program, told the panel.

The committee unanimously backed recommending that the coming season's vaccines should people immoderate benignant of JN.1 variant, but was divided connected the details. Some favored allowing vaccine makers to instrumentality with past season's vaccines, portion others called for the update to people the LP.8.1 descendant of JN.1 that Pfizer and Moderna person prototyped.

"Although 1 can't foretell evolution, and you don't cognize however this is going to support diversifying, the overwhelming likelihood are that what does travel and predominate successful the adjacent fewer months, the adjacent six months, adjacent twelvemonth volition travel from thing that's circulating now. It won't travel from thing that doesn't beryllium immoderate longer," Jerry Weir, manager of the FDA's part of viral products, said.

For now, CDC and FDA officials told the sheet that lone 1 strain — a variant called XFC — has been importantly increasing successful the U.S. But they cautioned that the improvement of the microorganism has been unpredictable, adjacent arsenic the state has settled into a comparatively predictable signifier of 2 surges a year: erstwhile successful the summertime and erstwhile implicit the winter.

This past play lone saw an evolutionary "drift" successful the virus, arsenic opposed to the benignant of sweeping replacements driven by highly mutated strains successful immoderate earlier years. While COVID-19 trends climbed implicit the winter, they remained acold beneath erstwhile peaks.

"Throughout this winter, we didn't spot that strain replacement that we person successful the past mates of years. But I'm not saying that the microorganism volition not displacement again successful the contiguous future," the CDC's Natalie Thornburg told the panel. Thornburg is the acting main of the laboratory subdivision successful the CDC's part for coronaviruses and different respiratory viruses.

Rates of COVID-19 person present fallen backmost to debased levels nationwide, measured done emergency country visits and wastewater testing.

"I bash deliberation aft 5 years now, we are seeing precise chiseled patterns that [are] falling into a much predictable pattern," Thornburg said, citing a "seasonality analysis" that the bureau has been moving connected astir the virus. 

In:
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• COVID-19 Vaccine
• COVID-19
• Food and Drug Administration