SYDNEY — A new COVID-19 variant, LB.1, has emerged in Australia, raising concerns among health experts about its potential to spread more rapidly than previous variants, local media reported on Saturday.

According to SBS News, a spokesperson from the Australian health department confirmed the presence of LB.1 cases in the country.

Health experts have issued warnings about the increased transmissibility of this new variant. Professor Adrian Esterman, chair of biostatistics and epidemiology at the University of South Australia, stated, "Although LB.1 is almost certainly more transmissible than KP.2, it doesn’t appear to be outperforming KP.3 and its descendants."

Paul Griffin, an infectious disease physician and clinical microbiologist at the University of Queensland, noted that while the country might be approaching a peak in coronavirus cases this winter, it remains uncertain whether LB.1 will trigger a new wave of infections.

"We had a large wave of COVID activity and that does seem to be stalling, but there is still quite a lot at the moment," Griffin said. — Agencies