The Rising "Nimbus" Variant: A Global Conundrum
Nimbus Variant of Coronavirus Found Rarely
The world is keeping a keen eye on a new Coronavirus variant, dubbed "Nimbus" (NB.1.8.1). While it hasn't made a significant impact in Germany yet, the variant has already established itself in parts of Asia.
In spite of a minimal presence in Germany, Nimbus made its debut towards the end of March. Since then, it has surfaced sporadically, but according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), no discernible trend can be identified, given the low Covid case numbers and minimal sequencing.
Globally, Nimbus is causing a surge in cases, surpassing previous variants in transmissibility. Several countries, like China, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand, have reported a notable increase in hospitalizations due to this variant. Despite its higher transmissibility, early data suggests that it does not lead to more severe illness compared to earlier strains.
Biophysicist Richard Neher from the University of Basel explains that Nimbus originated from the XDV.1.5 strain, a dominant form of the pathogen in East Asia. In China, Nimbus was the dominant variant as of the end of May, according to China's state-run news agency Xinhua.
Neher notes that the variant is increasing in frequency compared to other variants, making it more infectious in the sense that an infection produces more secondary infections than other variants. However, there are no reports of severe disease courses in China, which aligns with the WHO's assessment.
There is no indication that the variant causes more severe illness than other circulating variants. The currently approved Covid-19 vaccines are expected to protect against severe disease courses with Nimbus as well.
Regarding Germany, Neher posits that whether the variant will establish itself depends on how other variants develop. It is possible that Nimbus will establish itself, but it is likely to be of little importance.
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References
[1] https://www.who.int/en/activities/tracking-SARS-CoV-2-variants/[2] https://www.thyrocare.com/covid-19-variation-new-variant-of-sars-cov-2-nimbus-nb-181/[3] https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-2019-nCoV-Study-of-variant-B.1.1.7-WO_2021.15[4] https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-306024/v1
The European Union, in its mission to combat poverty and social exclusion, might investigate the potential impact of the Nimbus variant on health-and-wellness, particularly in relation to medical-conditions. With the increasing transmissibility of Nimbus, the advancement of science could play a crucial role in understanding and mitigating this global conundrum, even as it poses less severe illness compared to earlier strains.
