Scientists in Britain have warned a new, highly contagious variant of COVID-19—which is surging already across most areas of Southeast Asia—could spark a wave of infections this summer. Known as Nimbus, the strain is descended from the already super virulent Omicron and has already triggered a surge in cases in China, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

According to the data released by the UK Health Security Agency, or UKHSA, at least 13 cases of Nimbus - scientifically called N.B.1.8.1—have already been detected across England, along with 25 British samples of the strain submitted to an international Covid database since the end of March. Other UKHSA data show the percentage of people testing positive for coronavirus has risen to its highest point this year since 97 per cent higher numbers have been recorded.

Now, British scientists have warned Nimbus could lead to a surge in COVID-19 cases in a matter of weeks and have urged vulnerable people to go for vaccinations, including boosters. According to experts, many people's immunity to the virus, which was built up from previous infections and older jabs, has likely faded, which means they could be at higher risk of falling ill.

Scientists say as the weather warms up in Europe, cases are expected to rise as people become more sociable. “We are very likely to see a spike of infections over the next couple of months, possibly by later this month or in July. But it’s difficult to predict the level of this infection wave,” Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at Warwick University, told The iPaper in an interview published in the Daily Mail, UK. “Population immunity, either from vaccination or previous infection, is waning, and, unlike other respiratory viruses such as flu, the Covid virus continues to spread in hot and humid weather,” he added.

Various studies suggest Nimbus infects human cells more efficiently than previous strains and that it may also have an increased ability to dodge the immune system, making it more likely to infect people.

However, currently, there is no evidence that the strain is more likely to cause severe illness or death in those it infects compared to previous strains. According to the World Health Organisation, Nimbus at present accounts for 10.7 per cent of infections across the world, as compared to just 2.5 per cent last month.

The WHO says it is tracking and monitoring the virus - watching for signs it could pose a significant threat to the public, which would promote it to a `variant of concern'

Experts have also said that current COVID-19 vaccines, which have been reformulated to combat Omicron descendants, are expected to remain effective against Nimbus. While the signs and symptoms of Nimbus are no different from other variants, which include fatigue, fever, muscle aches, and a sore throat, the after-effects may seem to linger for a longer time.