New COVID-19 variant found among international travelers to New York, other states
The federal government has announced it will limit COVID-19 vaccines to those over 65 or at high risk, as a new variant of the virus has been discovered in travelers coming to New York. Credit: Jeff Bachner
A new COVID-19 variant, spreading through Asia and linked to a virus surge in China, has been detected among international travelers arriving at airports in at least four states, including New York, according to data from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention screening program.
The data comes as the Trump administration announced this week that it would limit approval for seasonal COVID shots to seniors and others at high risk.
Cases of the variant have been reported among travelers arriving in airports in New York City, Virginia, California and Washington state, CBS News reported Thursday. The travelers, who were arriving from Japan, South Korea, France, Thailand, the Netherlands, Spain, Vietnam, China and Taiwan, were tested from April 22 through May 12, CBS reported.
Health officials in Rhode Island, Hawaii and Ohio have also reported cases of the NB. 1.8.1 variant, which has caused a rise in COVID cases and hospitalizations in Hong Kong and Taiwan, officials said.
WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND
- Two cases of a new COVID-19 variant known as NB. 1.8.1, which has spread rapidly in Asia, have been reported in New York, along with at least six other states.
- While the variant does not appear to cause more severe illness than other previous strains, state Health Department officials said it appears to be more contagious.
- The Trump administration announced this week it would limit approval for seasonal COVID shots to seniors and children and younger adults with at least one high-risk health problem.
Marissa Crary, a spokeswoman for the New York State Health Department, said there have been two reported cases of the NB. 1.8.1 strain in New York.
"We continue to monitor for NB. 1.8.1 and all other circulating COVID variants," Crary said. "Although NB. 1.8.1 does not appear to cause more severe illness than other variants, it appears to be more contagious."
Dr. Bruce Farber, chief of public health and epidemiology at Northwell Health, said there's no reason to believe the new variant will cause any more severe illness than previous mutations of the virus.
"There have been a number of different circulating variants that have been reported over the last several years, and none of them have really panned out to be significantly different from the more recent variants that we've had," Farber said. "And for the most part, COVID rates have been low. The overwhelming majority of people who get COVID are not getting very ill. Deaths are dramatically down, and more people have died of flu this year than of COVID. And COVID rates in hospitals are really quite manageable and quite low."
A CDC spokeswoman said the agency is "aware of reported cases of COVID-19 NB. 1.8.1 in China and is in regular contact with international partners. There have been fewer than 20 sequences of NB. 1.8.1 in the U.S. baseline surveillance data to date."
State health department data shows COVID deaths during the past 12 months have ranged from a high of 73 during the week ending Sept. 21 to as low as 10 during the week ending Dec. 14.
On Long Island, there are 68 patients currently hospitalized with COVID, including seven in the intensive care unit, state data shows.
Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children's Hospital, said while there are constantly new variants circulating, prior COVID exposure, including previous vaccinations, continue to provide some level of protection.
"We don't know how significant the next variant will be," Nachman said. "We can suspect or project how difficult it will be and how many people get sick. But we don't yet have enough data from prior years to say it will be bad, not bad or will change."
Officials with Pfizer and Moderna told a panel of FDA vaccine advisers on Thursday that they recommended switching to a new COVID formula for the fall and winter seasons that would provide protection against LP. 8.1, the current dominant strain in the United States. The new formula would also boost protection against NB. 1.8.1, the drug manufacturers said at the meeting.
Meanwhile, FDA officials announced Tuesday that updated COVID shots would be available moving forward only to adults 65 and older, along with children and younger adults with at least one high-risk health problem — a break from previous federal policy that recommended annual COVID-19 boosters for all Americans ages 6 months and older.
The agency is urging companies to conduct large comprehensive studies before the tweaked vaccines can be approved for healthier people.
Farber said that while limiting the vaccine to the elderly and the vulnerable "makes some sense," health agencies need to flexible to adjust for changing conditions.
"It may make sense now, but may not make sense in September, October, November of this year or the following year," Farber said of the FDA's vaccine standards. "And I think it would be a mistake for them to lock people out of getting these vaccines ... when we don't really know what the trajectory of the virus is going to be over the next year."
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
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