Zuko Komisa

A new COVID-19 variant, NB.1.8.1, is now the main strain in China and is starting to show up around the world.
This has led health experts to issue new warnings and advice on vaccine.
First found in April 2025, NB.1.8.1 comes from the Omicron variant. It’s causing a rise in hospital visits in China and has been detected in travellers in the US and other countries like France, Japan, and Thailand. The World Health Organization (WHO) is now watching it closely.
While symptoms like sore throat and fever are the same as other variants, NB.1.8.1 has changes that might make it spread more easily. However, it doesn’t seem to cause more severe illness.
According to WHO, the current COVID-19 vaccines still protect well, especially against serious illness. This is because NB.1.8.1 is closely related to Omicron. New experimental vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are being developed that might offer even better protection against this variant.
The WHO recommends using vaccines that target the JN.1 and KP.2 lineages, as they offer strong protection against NB.1.8.1 and similar strains. They urge countries to vaccinate without delay.
There have been no reports of NB.1.8.1 in South Africa yet, and local health authorities haven’t issued any warnings.
However, recent concerns about vaccine side effects, like heart inflammation, have raised questions about South Africa’s 2021 vaccine rollout and whether people received all the necessary information before getting vaccinated.
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