The variant, NB.1.8.1, has been identified as the cause of Covid-19 resurgence in China and several other Asian countries. Experts in Europe are predicting a possible increase in cases there.

Could the COVID-19 surge in China unleash a new coronavirus mutant on the world? Scientists don't know but worry that might happen. It could be similar to Omicron variants circulating there now.

Covid-19’s rapid spread in China has prompted reports of crowded hospitals and inundated crematoria. It could also help answer whether Omicron is truly a milder version of the virus.

BEIJING — It’s unlikely that a dangerous new Covid-19 variant is spreading in China, said Dr. Chris Murray, Seattle-based director of a health research center at the University of Washington.

The Delta variant has broken through China's COVID-19 defenses, which are some of the strictest in the world, and reached nearly half of China’s 32 provinces in just two weeks.

China is battling to stem the spread of new cases tied to the more infectious variant. Nearly 200 people have been infected since last week, when a case was detected at an international airport.

The variant, NB.1.8.1, has been identified as the cause of Covid-19 resurgence in China and several other Asian countries. Experts in Europe are predicting a possible increase in cases there.