By July, summer traditions are in full swing. Swimming pools have opened. State fairs are serving up corn dogs on a stick. And kids are chasing down the ice-cream truck.
In the past few years, a new, grim summer tradition has emerged — learning about the new COVID variants spreading across the world and wondering what they will mean for the U.S. come autumn and winter.
Once again, a new COVID variant has emerged, and public health experts are analyzing what people can expect after the summer ends.
The current COVID variant, LP.8.1, is a subvariant of Omicron, which took over from Delta as the dominant strain. LP.8.1. is beginning to wane, and a new variant is on the rise.
The new variant, NB.1.8.1, is also a subvariant of the Omicron variant. It has spread rapidly, and the earliest sample of this variant was obtained in January. Already, it accounts ...
