A new Covid variant could drive up summer cases: Here's what you should know

The World Health Organization announced last week that it was monitoring the variant, NB.1.8.1, following a rise in cases in several parts of the world.

A new Covid variant that’s gaining momentum globally has landed in the U.S.

The World Health Organization announced last week that it was monitoring the variant, NB.1.8.1, following a rise in cases in several parts of the world, including Europe, Southeast Asia and North and South America.

The variant appears to be more transmissible than the dominant strain worldwide, LP.8.1, meaning it has the potential to drive up cases this summer.

But it does not seem to be much better than LP.8.1 at evading protection from vaccines or a prior infection. And the WHO has found no evidence that it leads to more severe illness, so the agency has determined that it doesn’t pose an added health risk.

“It’s an important one to track, but it doesn’t show any signs so far of being able to drive a large surge in Covid-19 cases — at least in the U.S.,” said Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.