Urgent holiday warning over new Covid variant that's ‘more infectious' as cases surge in popular hotspots
Travellers were urged to don masks and wash their hands as the new variant drives up cases.
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The strain - called NB.1.8.1 - has been spotted in spots popular for British travellers, such as Egypt, the Maldives and Thailand.
It's also seen a rapid rise in Ireland in recent weeks and has been found in the US, Australia and the UK.
Health authorities in Thailand issued a warning about the variant, after recording Covid 257,280 cases and 52 deaths.
The country's capital Bangkok is seeing the worst of the outbreak, as well as the Chonburi Province.
Deputy government spokesperson Anukool Pruksanusak said international travel and the oncoming rainy season, could accelerate the outbreaks and the Ministry of Public Health will monitor the situation closely.
He urged people to "limit activities that increase the risk of infection, wash their hands regularly, wear masks in crowded places, get booster vaccinations when due, and seek medical attention promptly if experiencing symptoms".
It comes after the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a warning over NB.1.8.1, designating it as a "variant under monitoring" due to its global spread and key mutations.
'Despite a concurrent increase in cases and hospitalisations in some countries where NB.1.8.1 is widespread, current data do not indicate that this variant leads to more severe illness than other variants in circulation,' the WHO said.
But while it may not be particularly severe, may infect people more easily than previous variants, with some evidence suggesting that the variant binds more tightly to human cells.
"Data indicates that NB.1.8.1 does not lead to more severe illness compared to previous variants, although it appears to have a growth advantage, suggesting it may spread more easily," Subhash Verma, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, told CBS News last week.
"In other words, it is more transmissible."
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