New COVID-19 variant stirs pot in Asia but Germany keeps it at bay

The new coronavirus variant NB.1.8.1, spreading rapidly across parts of Asia, has yet to gain a foothold in Germany, the World Health Organization reports.

First identified in January and labeled a "variant under monitoring" by the WHO, NB.1.8.1 was detected in Germany only at the end of March.

So far, Germany’s public health agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), says the variant has appeared only sporadically.

“No trend can be derived here; current COVID-19 case numbers are low, and correspondingly less sequencing is being conducted,” the institute stated.

University of Basel biophysicist Richard Neher said whether this variant “will establish itself [in Germany] depends on how other variants evolve. It is quite possible that NB.1.8.1 will prevail, but it is likely to be relatively insignificant.”