A new Covid variant, NB.1.8.1 or nimbus, has reached America and may be set to become the dominant variant of the virus this summer. At the same time, the Trump administration has limited the number of people who can be vaccinated by reducing access to vaccines.
U. S. Cases Crop Up
By the end of last week, only 20 NB.1.8.1 cases had been reported in the United States. However, this variant is reputed to be highly contagious.
“NB.1.8.1 could become the main type of coronavirus this summer if it gains strength and is able to break through some immunity,” Dr. Maria Knobel, founder of Medical Cert UK, emailed Saving Advice. “Whether it remains dominant will be determined by constantly checking how well the vaccines work and how public health responds.”
That view was echoed by Dr. James Lawler, MD, MPH, of the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Global Center for Health Security in Omaha.
“There seems to be enough escape that it can outcompete [other variants] and probably will establish itself as a dominant strain, as long as another new variant doesn’t pop up,” Lawler told MedPage Today.
Cases were reported through the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) airport screening program. Infected passengers were detected in California, Washington, Virginia, and New York. However, cases have also been reported by state health officials in Ohio, Rhode Island, and Hawaii.
Flights carrying infected passengers reportedly originated from Japan, South Korea, France, Thailand, the Netherlands, Spain, Vietnam, China, and Taiwan.
The new variant is dominant in China and Hong Kong. In addition, it is rapidly spreading in Asia.
NB.1.8.1 More Contagious
Researchers in China have found that NB.1.8.1 is able to bind to human cells better than other variants. Further, a draft research paper in bioRxiv, which has not yet been peer reviewed, made the same determination. That means it could be more contagious.
“New mutations in the NB.1.8.1 variant of COVID-19 might make it less affected by the immune response from vaccination or having had COVID-19 before,” noted Dr. Knobel. “It seems to be passed on more easily than other varieties, which may be due to how easily it affects the airways.”
Dr. Lawler sees the potential for a “pretty sizable summer wave” of NB.1.8.1 cases. He observes that COVID strains have peaked in Summer and Winter over the past five years. “So we’re primed in terms of timing and very low rates of recent vaccination.”
WHO Tracking NB.1.8.1
The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated NB.1.8.1 a “variant under monitoring” (VUM).
The VUM classification is “used to signal to public health authorities that a SARS-CoV-2 (COVID) variant may require prioritized attention and monitoring,” according to the WHO.
There are currently six variants of COVID designated VUM in 22 countries. NB.1.8.1 is far from a dominant strain currently. However, it is spreading rapidly.
The Global Initiative for Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) is a platform allowing researchers worldwide to share genetic data about viruses. It had received 518 NB.1.8.1 genetic sequences as of May 18. That accounts for 10.7 percent of sequences.
“While still low numbers, this is a significant rise in prevalence from 2.5% four weeks prior,” reports WHO.
Policy Pivot Heightens Vulnerability
NB.1.8.1 has arrived in America as the Trump administration has begun restricting access to the latest vaccines.
The CDC has recommended vaccination for everyone over six months old for the last five years. During that time, vaccinations have been updated each fall to combat dominant variants. Further, clinical trials have shown those updated shots to be safe and effective.
However, the Trump administration announced a new “vaccination regulatory framework” in the May 20 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. Under the new rules, vaccinations will only be available for those with underlying health conditions and people over 65. As a result, many people will not be able to get shots in the fall. That includes diabetics, who are among those most vulnerable.
The policy change will also have clinical trials for vaccines before approving them for children and healthy adults. The result for drug makers will be millions in added costs. For many consumers, that extra cost may make booster shots unaffordable.
Health Professionals Push Back
The administration’s restrictive vaccine policy and the rise of a variant on the cusp of the summer Covid season have resulted in widespread criticism from healthcare professionals. That included the resignation of Dr. Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos from the CDC on Tuesday. She was co-leader of the agency’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
Dr. Panagiotakopoulos did not give a specific reason for her sudden resignation. However, the week before, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., announced a major change in CDC policy. Kennedy said the CDC would no longer recommend COVID vaccines for Healthy children and healthy pregnant women.
Previously, the ACIP would vote on changes to recommendations on who should get vaccines.
“My career in public health and vaccinology started with a deep-seated desire to help the most vulnerable members of our population, and that is not something I am able to continue doing in this role,” Dr. Panagiotakopoulos wrote in an email to colleagues. That email was obtained by Reuters.
More pointed criticism came from Kennedy’s predecessor, Xavier Becerra.
In a speech to the Association of Healthcare Journalists this week, the former HHS secretary criticised Kennedy’s policy, saying, “to be silent is to acquiesce to that.”
Clinicians Voice Opposition To Policy
The chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Infectious Diseases said Kennedy’s decision “could strip families of choice.”
Dr. Sean T. O’Leary, M.D., said the impacts of insurance coverage are unclear.
“What is clear,” said Dr. O’Leary, “is that pregnant women, infants, and young children are at higher risk of hospitalization from COVID, and the safety of the COVID vaccine has been widely demonstrated.”
Late last week, the CDC updated its childhood vaccination schedule. Now the agency says the decision to immunize children six months to 17 years should be made by parents in consultation with physicians. However, there has been no change in the policy for pregnant women.
Health risks are greater for pregnant women who contract COVID, Dr. Neil Silverman told KFF Health News. He is the director of the Infectious Diseases in Pregnancy Program at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine.
“No matter what the politics say, the science is the science, and we know that, objectively, pregnant patients are at substantially increased risk of having complications,” Silverman said.
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Max K. Erkiletian began writing for newspapers while still in high school. He went on to become an award-winning journalist and co-founder of the print magazine Free Bird. He has written for a wide range of regional and national publications as well as many on-line publications. That has afforded him the opportunity to interview a variety of prominent figures from former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank Paul Volker to Blues musicians Muddy Waters and B. B. King. Max lives in Springfield, MO with his wife Karen and their cat – Pudge. He spends as much time as possible with his kids, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
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