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yesterday

Omicron Subvariant NB.1.8.1 Spreads Across U.S. as FDA Limits Booster Eligibility

Health officials say the variant’s increased contagiousness could fuel a summer rise in COVID-19 cases with updated boosters restricted to high-risk groups.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at a hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Passengers walk through the terminal at San Francisco International Airport. Stanford researchers have detected the new COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1 in international travelers screened at airports in several states, including California.

Overview

  • The World Health Organization has classified NB.1.8.1 as a Variant Under Monitoring after noting its growing global prevalence.
  • CDC data and state health departments have confirmed cases in California, Ohio, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Washington and Virginia.
  • Researchers report that NB.1.8.1 is more transmissible than earlier Omicron offshoots but does not appear to increase disease severity.
  • The FDA will restrict updated COVID-19 booster shots this fall to seniors and people with specified medical conditions.
  • Preliminary lab data indicate that an LP.8.1-based vaccine candidate could broaden protection against NB.1.8.1, though final fall booster strain decisions are pending.