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New Covid variant NB.1.8.1 spreading in UK as doctors warn of nine key symptomsThe new Covid variant may spread more easily than earlier strains, experts warnCommentsNewsBethan

Finighan11:00, 04 Jun 2025A new Covid strain has been discovered in the UK(Image: Getty Image) A new Covid variant has been detected in the UK after it was added to a World Health

Organisation (WHO) watch list.

The WHO placed the variant, called NB.1.8.1, "under monitoring" due to the rise in cases worldwide. It is one of six Covid-19 variants currently being monitored.

‌ The new variant now accounts for just over 10 per cent of global infections – and experts say it could become the "dominant" strain next winter.

‌ The WHO has released a report which says the strain could potentially be more transmissible than previous variants.

The report said: "Despite a concurrent increase in cases and hospitalisations in some countries where NB.1.8.1 is widespread, current data does not indicate that this variant leads to more

severe illness than other variants in circulation."

New Covid variant NB.1.8.1 has been spreading in a number of countries(Image: Getty Images)Article continues below It added: "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."

Where has Covid NB.1.8.1 been detected? The NB.1.8.1 variant was first recorded on January 21. By late April 2025, the new variant made up roughly 10.7 per cent of all detected Covid strains

– up from just 2.5 per cent four weeks prior, according to the WHO.

‌ Covid NB.1.8.1 has already been detected in 22 countries. These include the likes of Australia, China, Hong Kong, Thailand and the US, The Independent reports.

While the overall health risk remains low, some regions have seen rising infections and hospitalisations where it has been detected.

Thailand's Government has urged people in holiday hotspots to wear masks, get vaccinated and wash hands to stop the spread of the virus.

‌ Now, the strain has been detected in the UK. Cases of the NB.1.8.1 variant have been confirmed in Northern Ireland and Wales, though the true number of infections is difficult to determine

due to decreased testing, The Independent reports.

The WHO says the overall health risk remains low(Image: Getty Images) The Northern Ireland Public Health Agency says at least seven people have been diagnosed with the NB.1.8.1 strain of

coronavirus.

‌ A small number of cases of the new variant have been sequenced in Wales in three weeks out the last 21, Wales Online reports.

Is Covid NB.1.8.1 more serious than earlier strains? While there is no evidence that the new strain causes more severe symptoms, it might be more transmissible than earlier strains.

"Despite a concurrent increase in cases and hospitalisations in some countries where NB.1.8.1 is widespread, current data does not indicate that this variant leads to more severe illness

than other variants in circulation," the WHO said on May 23.

‌ It added: "Spike mutations at position 445 have been shown to enhance binding affinity to hACE2, which could increase the variant’s transmissibility."

So far, NB.1.8.1 does not seem to cause more severe illness than previous variants, but it could be "here to stay", says Francois Balloux, Professor of Computational Systems Biology and

Director at the UCL Genetics Institute.

"It looks like a well-adapted variant with a strong binding affinity to the ACE2 cell receptors that the virus uses to infect us," Prof Balloux tells the Manchester Evening News. "It also

bypasses to some extent antibodies mounted during vaccination and infection by previous strains."

‌Is the vaccine effective against Covid NB.1.8.1? Covid vaccines are expected to remain effective against this new variant and help to protect against severe disease, the WHO says.

The vaccines are usually offered in spring and early winter to people who need extra protection from Covid, the NHS says. The jab can help to protect against serious or life-threatening

illness from the virus.

Covid vaccines are effective against the new variant, experts say(Image: Getty Images/Cavan Images RF)‌ The organisation recommends that its member states "should continue offering COVID-19

vaccines in line with WHO recommendations."

Nine key symptoms of Covid NB.1.8.1 Symptoms of the new strain are believed to be the same as earlier versions of the Covid virus.

"It is fairly unlikely that NB.1.8.1 will cause different symptoms than the other Omicron strains that have been in circulation over the last three years," Prof Balloux confirms.

Article continues below The NHS says common symptoms of Covid-19 include:

A high temperature or shivering (chills)A new, continuous coughA loss or change to your sense of smell or tasteShortness of breathFeeling tired or exhaustedAn aching body or a headacheA sore

throat, blocked or runny noseLoss of appetite, feeling sick or being sickDiarrhoea