Information about the New COVID Variant NB.1.8.1 (Nimbus) and protective measures

What to Know About the New COVID Variant NB.1.8.1 (Nimbus) and How to Protect Yourself This Summer An infectious disease expert shares information on the rising cases caused by the new COVID variant NB.1.8.1 Nimbus. Julia Morrill NewYork-Presbyterian

A new COVID variant known as NB.1.8.1, nicknamed Nimbus, has emerged globally and is beginning to spread in the United States. Nimbus accounted for an estimated 37% of cases in the U.S., during a two-week period ending June 7, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

“What sets NB.1.8.1 apart is how quickly it spreads,” explains Dr. Magdalena Sobieszczyk, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. “It has a genetic advantage: mutations that make it easy for it to bind to receptors on human cells. The mutations could allow NB.1.8.1 to spread faster and therefore infect more people.”

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