New COVID variant NB.1.8.1 starting to spread - WHO The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that the new COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1 is causing more infections worldwide. Already, the WHO has designated NB.1.8.1 as a “variant under monitoring” due to its increasing global prevalence and potential to evade immunity from previous infections or vaccinations. The rise in cases is primarily in the Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and Western Pacific regions. The new strain was designated as a “variant under monitoring” by the WHO last week, while the U.S. Centres for Disease Control (CDC)...