What Is COVID Variant NV.1.81?

It’s the first time in a long time that I have seen the media cover a new variant of COVID-19. If you’re wondering whether this new variant—labeled NV.1.81—should change your summer plans, the short answer is: not really. But it’s still worth understanding why public health experts are paying attention.

How Do We Know It’s Spreading?

Let’s start with several things we know about this variant so far. First, this new variant is an incremental evolution of the virus. It’s slightly more transmissible than recent versions, and it’s quickly becoming dominant in some regions.

We estimate how easily a virus spreads from person to person by monitoring genetic sequences of the virus. Then, when a new strain emerges, we look at how quickly that strain becomes more common than older ones. NV.1.81 is rising in frequency—an early indicator of greater transmissibility.

Does NV.1.81 Cause More Severe Illness?

Fortunately, this variant doesn’t appear to cause more severe disease. The symptoms, hospitalizations, and outcomes are, so far, similar to what we’ve seen in the past year. Even better, vaccines continue to work well, particularly for people who are up to date with receiving booster doses.

In that way, NV.1.81 is part of the same family of variants we’ve been living with since Omicron dramatically reshaped the pandemic in 2021.

What We Know About COVID-19 in General

Even before this variant emerged, we knew several things about COVID-19. The virus is now endemic, meaning it circulates in the population year-round, with occasional waves from season to season.

Like the flu, COVID-19 infections reliably peak every winter. But unlike the flu, COVID-19 also causes two to three smaller peaks throughout the year. These are often driven by new variants, behavioral changes (such as returning to school), or both.

How to Reduce Your Risk

There are multiple ways to reduce your risk of getting COVID-19. While no method or even combination of methods is 100% effective, each layer of prevention adds protection.

  • Wear high-quality, well-fitting masks
  • Stay up to date on COVID-19 booster vaccines
  • Clean indoor air by improving ventilation or using air filters

All of these help lower your chances of infection and the short- and long-term health consequences that come with it.

So how should you think about NV.1.81? My advice is the same I’ve been giving for the past two years: stay informed, use precautions when cases rise in your community, and get up to date on vaccinations at your local pharmacy or primary care clinic—especially if you’re over 65, have a chronic health condition, or are immunocompromised.

Why Vaccine Policy Is at Risk

What concerns me more than the virus itself is how politicized vaccine guidance has become. The FDA is increasingly being pulled into debates about whether vaccines should be recommended for healthy people, children, and pregnant women.

That’s not how our system is supposed to work. The FDA’s job is to determine whether a vaccine is safe and effective. It’s the role of the CDC and practicing clinicians to decide who should get it.

The data are clear: vaccines are safe and effective for pregnant women. They remain one of the most powerful tools we have to prevent serious illness. I’ve had six or seven doses myself. But I worry that political interference will:

  • Confuse healthcare providers
  • Cause insurers to reduce vaccine coverage
  • Lead pharmacies to stop stocking vaccines due to perceived low demand

Final Thoughts

We’ve lost nearly 47,000 Americans to COVID-related illness in the past year. That number could be much lower with clear, consistent, science-based public health policy.