A new COVID variant - NB 1.8.1 - is creeping across the country; here are the symptoms to watch for, and vaccinations you'll need to take.

One of the latest to appear on the radar is NB.1.8.1 – a name that you may have seen pop up in headlines and on social media feeds this week. This newly emerging sub-variant hasn’t triggered widespread concern,

The Global Virus Network (GVN) is closely monitoring the emergence of a newly identified SARS-CoV-2 variant, NB.1.8.1, a sublineage of the Omicron family. This variant was first identified in January 2025 and has rapidly spread across Asia and into other regions,