What to know about symptoms of the new COVID variant, booster restrictions

COVID booster changeable changes

Here's who the FDA says tin get a caller COVID-19 vaccine this autumn amid a alteration successful policy 02:33

Cases of the new COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1, linked to a ample surge successful China, have been detected successful aggregate locations crossed the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The earliest cases successful the U.S. day backmost to precocious March and aboriginal April, and were detected done a screening programme astatine airports for arriving planetary travelers.

"CDC is alert of reported cases of COVID-19 NB.1.8.1 successful China and is successful regular interaction with planetary partners," a CDC spokesperson said successful a connection past week.

The spokesperson said that, truthful far, excessively fewer U.S. sequences person been reported of NB.1.8.1 to beryllium included successful the agency's variant estimates dashboard.

But hospitalizations overseas person raised questions astir the caller variant, its symptoms and more. Here's what to know, according to experts. 

New COVID variant's symptoms 

NB.1.8.1 is associated with symptoms that are "broadly akin to those seen successful earlier strains of the virus," Subhash Verma, a prof of microbiology and immunology astatine the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, told CBS News successful an emailed statement.

Commonly reported symptoms see respiratory issues specified arsenic cough and sore throat, arsenic good arsenic systemic effects similar fever and fatigue, helium said. 

How unsafe is the caller COVID variant?

"Data indicates that NB.1.8.1 does not pb to much terrible unwellness compared to erstwhile variants, though it appears to person a maturation advantage, suggesting it whitethorn dispersed much easily," Verma said. "In different words, it is much transmissible."

Authorities successful Hong Kong say there is nary grounds that the variant, a descendant of the XDV lineage of the virus, is much terrible than erstwhile strains. 

Dr. Amy Edwards, adjunct prof of pediatrics astatine the School of Medicine astatine Case Western Reserve University who specializes successful infectious diseases, besides told CBS News determination is immoderate grounds successful the laboratory that this variant binds much tightly to quality cells, which means it is easier to transmit. But, that doesn't mean it leads to much terrible infection. 

"What they're seeing successful China, Hong Kong and immoderate different areas wherever this variant has truly surged, is an summation successful hospitalization, but that seems to beryllium much to bash with conscionable a modular summertime surge that we've been seeing," Edwards explained, adding the disposable information is inactive preliminary, but that the variant "doesn't look to beryllium much severe."

2025 COVID booster shot

Despite the latest variant displaying precocious transmissibility, the Trump medication is readying to bounds booster vaccine entree to immoderate groups.

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration said it volition proceed approving COVID-19 vaccine updates for seniors and those with an underlying aesculapian condition, including gestation oregon diabetes, but volition necessitate vaccine makers to behaviour large caller objective trials earlier approving them for wider use. The determination means galore Americans without underlying conditions whitethorn not person entree to updated shots this fall.

Verma said these restrictions could person respective important nationalist wellness impacts.

"Although implicit 100 cardinal Americans are inactive expected to suffice nether these criteria, the administration's determination introduces caller barriers for the broader population," helium said. "One contiguous interest is that the FDA's request for updated objective trials could hold entree to boosters for lower-risk groups, discouraging immoderate individuals from seeking vaccination. The caller argumentation whitethorn besides make disorder and trim vaccination rates if radical are uncertain astir their eligibility oregon disquieted astir security coverage, peculiarly with high-cost manufacturers readying to charge."

Edwards said the proposal updates stay unclear.

"Some of the connection astir pre-existing conditions is beauteous loose," she explained. "The different happening is, it's not wide what variants are going to beryllium successful this year's vaccine, particularly with immoderate question astir what benignant of vaccine trials are going to beryllium allowed."

The caller COVID-19 vaccination model was laid retired by the FDA's caller enactment nether Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has publically raised doubts astir vaccines. 

"We had heard Secretary Kennedy say, we're not going to instrumentality distant your vaccines, we're going to beryllium ace transparent. And successful fact, what is happening is radical are going to suffer entree to vaccines," Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News aesculapian contributor and editor-at-large for nationalist wellness astatine KFF Health News, told "CBS Mornings Plus" pursuing the FDA's announcement astir vaccine approvals. 

Are determination different ways to forestall infection?

With questions astir vaccine entree up successful the air, Edwards said determination are inactive strategies for prevention. 

"Good cough and sneezing hygiene, bully manus washing, staying location if you're not feeling good to support different radical from catching what you've got," Edwards advised. "If you're a small nether the weather, but good capable to beryllium retired and about, wearing a mask."

Despite immoderate contention astir disguise wearing, Edwards said they tin forestall dispersed by keeping your germs to yourself. 

"One of the places wherever masks person agelong been known to beryllium the astir effectual is successful preventing idiosyncratic who's sick from passing that corruption to different people," she said. "So if I've got a flimsy sore throat, small spot of sniffles, obviously, that mightiness not beryllium capable to support maine home, but if I enactment a disguise on, I tin trim the hazard that I would transmit immoderate I'm carrying to different people. And that's not conscionable for COVID. That's immoderate respiratory virus."

Authorities successful Hong Kong person besides begun urging residents to disguise erstwhile successful nationalist proscription oregon crowded places arsenic cases person climbed.

In:
• COVID-19 Vaccine
• COVID-19

Alexander Tin contributed to this report.