Another COVID-19 variant is rising abroad. Doctors say there's no need to panic

A 3-D rendering shows the Covid-19 virus omicron variant strain. STOCK IMAGE/Getty Images

Cases of the new COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1, a descendent of the Omicron variant, are on the rise in some parts of the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Currently, there are not enough cases in the United States to register in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID variant tracker .

Symptoms appear to be similar to other variants of COVID-19 and the public health risk remains low, WHO information shows.

The earliest sample of the NB.1.8.1 variant was collected on Jan. 22 and it was designated a variant under monitoring -- which may require prioritized attention and monitoring -- on May 23 by the WHO .

Since the omicron variant was detected in 20