Barbados’ top public health official has moved to reassure the public following the emergence of a new COVID-19 variant, stressing that while the strain is more contagious, it does not appear to cause more severe illness than earlier versions of the virus.
Speaking at a press briefing at the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) regional headquarters on Dayrells Road, Senior Medical Officer of Health Dr Leslie Rollock said the new variant—NB.1.8.1—is more transmissible but not more virulent.
“As you would be aware, the coronavirus that caused COVID-19 is continually changing. It is becoming more and more transmissible, easier to pass from person to person,” Dr Rollock explained. “This new variant that has been discovered is, of course, more transmissible, but in itself it is not more virulent.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has designated NB.1.8.1 as a “variant under monitoring” amid rising case numbers, particularly in the United States, a key source market for Barbados.
Dr Rollock noted that although the illness caused by the variant is not necessarily more dangerous than previous strains like Delta, the increased rate of transmission could result in more people being infected—posing a higher risk for the medically vulnerable.
“It’s not because of the virulence of the virus; it’s because of the state of the person who would have got it,” she said.
The Ministry of Health is keeping a close eye on international developments, particularly in countries with high travel volumes to Barbados during the busy summer season.
“For the average person, it is not an issue,” Dr Rollock added. “But what we usually advise is that those who are more vulnerable—if you have a vulnerable person in your house and you have a cough, cold, runny nose—when you have interactions with them, you wear a mask. When you’re going out and you don’t know who you’re going to meet, you try to do your normal cough etiquette: cover your coughs and your sneezes, wash your hands and keep your unwashed hands from your eyes, your nose and your mouth.”
She compared the current trajectory of COVID-19 to that of the common cold, cautioning that while the virus may be milder overall, it can still lead to serious illness in high-risk individuals.
“This new virus by itself is not an issue because it is not as virulent as Delta was. It’s coming down to the point that it might be for us like the common cold, but you know the common cold can cause severe disease in those who are vulnerable. So that’s where we are at with respect to this new variant,” Dr Rollock said.
