LOS ANGELES – Health officials say a new COVID-19 variant was detected in California and other states.
The World Health Organization said Wednesday the rise in cases is primarily in the eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia and western Pacific regions.
Airport screening in the US detected the new variant in travelers arriving from those regions to states such as California, Washington, Virginia and New York.
WHO said due to the new variant called NB.1.8.1, cases are increasing again, but said the public health risk remains low. By mid-May the new variant had reached nearly 11% of sequenced samples reported. The WHO designated it a “variant under monitoring.”
The WHO said some western Pacific countries have reported increases in COVID cases and hospitalizations, but there’s nothing so far to suggest that the disease associated with the new variant is more severe compared to other variants.
Kennedy pulls vaccine guidance
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On Tuesday, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said COVID-19 vaccines are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women, a controversial announcement made weeks before a CDC advisory panel was set to weigh in.
The announcement appeared to override longstanding CDC guidance that urges annual COVID-19 boosters for all Americans aged 6 months and older.
Kennedy did not provide supporting documentation or specific risk-benefit data in his video statement. CDC officials declined to comment on the decision and referred reporters to HHS.
Health experts have warned that vaccine guidance should be grounded in peer-reviewed evidence and consensus, not unilateral executive action. However, Kennedy has pushed for a more decentralized approach to public health decisions since his appointment.
