Less than 20 cases of the new COVID-19 variant, NB.1.8.1, had been reported in the U.S., as of Tuesday, May 27.

Cases of the new COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1, a descendent of the Omicron variant, are on the rise in some parts of the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The WHO has designated it a “variant under monitoring” and considers the public health risk low at the global level with current vaccines expected to remain effective.