A new, highly infectious COVID strain originating in China has reached the United States.

A new COVID-19 variant, highly contagious and responsible for a rise in hospitalizations in China, was recently detected in the United States, including cases in New York City, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The NB.1.81 variant was first identified in the United States in late March and early April, mainly among international travelers who arrived at airports in California, Washington, Virginia, and New York. Subsequently, additional cases were reported in states such as Ohio, Rhode Island, and Hawaii.

Although the CDC indicates that the number of cases in the U.S. remains too low to conduct comprehensive tracking in its variant estimates, specialists warn that the evolution of the virus in China demonstrates a faster spread compared to other predominant strains of this respiratory infection created in a Chinese laboratory.

Scientists have closely monitored the NB.1.81 variant, which became predominant in China during this year, with a significant increase in cases across Asia.

Meanwhile, authorities in Hong Kong report that COVID-19 infection levels reached their highest peaks in at least a year, after reporting a "considerable increase" in emergency room visits and hospitalizations during the past month, attributable to this variant.

In the past four weeks, 81 severe cases related to this variant were reported, resulting in 30 deaths, mainly among older adults over 65 years.

In mainland China, health authorities reported that the percentage of patients who went to emergency rooms for COVID-19 doubled in the past month, rising from 7.5% to more than 16%. Likewise, the hospitalization rate for this disease also increased, surpassing 6%, according to the state newspaper China Daily.

Screenings conducted at airports by the CDC demonstrated the extent of this variant's spread, as infected individuals traveled from China to countries such as Japan, South Korea, France, Thailand, Netherlands, Spain, Vietnam, and Taiwan.

A more infectious variant

Like other COVID-19 variants, this strain can cause symptoms such as cough, sore throat, fever, and fatigue.

However, Subhash Verma, professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Nevada, emphasized that the new variant "seems to have an advantage in its growth capacity, indicating that it could be transmitted more easily." "In other words, it's more contagious," Verma explained to CBS News.