A serious warning has been issued amid the circulation of a new COVID-19 variant that experts have said could be more infectious than previous strains.
Reports recently revealed that the case numbers of the new COVID-19 variant is presently on the rise in the United Kingdom.
The NB.1.8.1 variant has been found in twenty-two nations since its emergence in January, including Britain, with Wales also reporting more cases in recent months.
Popular British tourist hotspots like Thailand, the Maldives and Egypt have been hit lately, with rising cases recorded in the United States of America, Australia, Ireland and other parts of Europe as well.
Because a shocking number of 257,280 COVID-19 cases have already been recorded in Thailand this year, an official warning has been issued by health authorities, notifying the public about the new variant.
Experts have said that they fear the new strain could be more infectious than the previous viruses, a notion backed by the fast-rising number of cases.
According to Subhash Verma, professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, research has proven that NB.1.8.1 does not lead to more severe illness compared to previous variants.
Speaking to CBS News, he, however, declared that while the virus doesn’t trigger severe sickness like its predecessors, it spreads more easily.
“Data indicates that NB.1.8.1 does not lead to more severe illness compared to previous variants, although it appears to have a growth advantage, suggesting it may spread more easily.
In other words, it is more transmissible,” he said.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has since claimed that, according to the evidence available, NB.1.8.1’s threat to the public health is still “low at the global level.”
