Manila, April 2 -- Australia is facing the regular emergence of new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus more than five years since Covid-19 was declared a pandemic.

The latest variant - LP.8.1 - is on the rise, making up close to one in five Covid-19 cases in New South Wales, local broadcaster SBS News reported Wednesday.

It has become the third most dominant strain in the state.

First detected in July 2024, LP.8.1 is a descendant of Omicron, specifically of KP.1.1.3, which is descended from JN.1, a subvariant that caused large waves of covid infections around the world in late 2023 and early 2024.

The World Health Organization (WHO) designated LP.8.1 as a variant under monitoring in January in response to its significant growth globally...