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THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO) SAYS THE NEW VARIANT HAS BEEN DETECTED IN MULTIPLE COUNTRIES. 15:17, 29 May 2025 A warning has been issued to British tourists after a new strain of

Coronavirus hit multiple countries. The contagious virus has been detected in holiday destinations which are popular with UK holidaymakers. The new strain is being found in large numbers in

the Eastern Mediterranean, an area including the popular holiday destination of Egypt. It is also being detected in South East Asia - including in Thailand and the Maldives. The World Health

Organisation (WHO) said the symptoms of this particular Covid strain appears to be spreading quicker and easier than previous variants. In their recent alert, the WHO said the new strain

has been responsible for more than 10 percent of all infections with cases now surging. The variant has been labelled as NB.1.8.1 by the WHO and said they are currently monitoring the spike

in cases. NB.1.8.1 is reportedly already the dominant strain of Covid in Hong Kong and China, according to the Mirror. Article continues below Lara Herrero Associate Professor and Research

Leader in Virology and Infectious Disease, at Griffith University said thanks to multiple mutations the new strain 'may infect cells more efficiently than earlier strains'. The

strain has been detected in multiple countries, including Australia, the US and possibly the UK. Professor Herrero said: "It’s possible a person infected with NB.1.8.1 may be more

likely to pass the virus on to someone else, compared to earlier variants. The evidence so far suggests NB.1.8.1 may spread more easily and may partially sidestep immunity from prior

infections or vaccination. "These factors could explain its rise in sequencing data. "But importantly, the WHO has not yet observed any evidence it causes more severe disease

compared to other variants. Reports suggest symptoms of NB.1.8.1 should align closely with other Omicron subvariants. "Common symptoms include sore throat, fatigue, fever, mild cough,

muscle aches and nasal congestion. Gastrointestinal symptoms may also occur in some cases." A WHO report reads: "SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve, and between January and May 2025,

there were shifts in global SARS-CoV-2 variant dynamics. At the beginning of the year, the most prevalent variant tracked by WHO at the global level was XEC, followed by KP.3.1.1. In

February, circulation of XEC began to decline while that of LP.8.1 increased, with the latter becoming the most detected variant in mid-March. Since mid-April, the circulation of LP.8.1 has

been slightly declining as NB.1.8.1 is increasingly being detected." JOIN THE DAILY RECORD WHATSAPP COMMUNITY! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp

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Privacy Notice. The WHO said recent increases have also been observed in Cambodia, China, Hong Kong and Singapore. Article continues below The report reads: " WHO recommends that

countries remain vigilant, adapt to evolving epidemiological trends, and leverage COVID-19 management strategies to strengthen systems for all respiratory disease threats. Member States

should continue offering COVID-19 vaccines in line with WHO recommendations. "Based on the current risk assessment of this event, WHO advises against imposing travel or trade

restrictions."