A highly contagious new strain of COVID-19 has been detected in California and in other states, a discovery that comes as federal officials announced they will no longer support booster shots for healthy children and pregnant women.
As reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, the strain dubbed NB.1.8.1 was confirmed in California as early as April 17, with additional infections detected in Washington, Virginia and New York.
Despite the variant’s emergence, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Tuesday that officials would no longer recommend healthy children and pregnant women receive boosters of a COVID-19 vaccine.
That decision comes even though “pediatricians point out that the youngest infants face among the highest risks for hospitalization, similar to older adults,” and the Food and Drug Administration lists pregnancy among the “conditions that put people at high risk” of COVID-19.
Last week, federal officials announced that future vaccine doses will be limited to those 65 and over or with underlying health conditions.
