Patients and healthcare professionals are noting that the latest Covid-19 variant is leading to discomfort in the throat, earning it a rather dramatic nickname: “razor blade throat.”
This variant, known as the Nimbus variant or NB.1.8.1, is part of the Omicron lineage and is currently being watched by the World Health Organization.
Dr. Muhammad Azam from a community health group in California describes the symptoms, stating, “Your throat is very dry, cracked and sore, so it’s hard to drink from time to time.” He offered these insights in a conversation with ABC 10.
Originally identified in January, the variant has been found across the globe, showing up in at least 13 states in both Canada and the US.
In addition to the sore throat, Nimbus shares symptoms typical of other Omicron variants, including cough, fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, nausea, vomiting, and changes in taste or smell.
Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, commented, “The sore throat was part of the Covid spectrum from the start. It’s something we know happens with many other respiratory viruses.”
Currently, most Covid-19 cases in the US are still attributed to the LP.8.1 variant. However, the share of cases linked to Nimbus is steadily increasing. CDC figures suggest that 38% of cases are from LP.8.1, while 37% are attributed to the Nimbus variant. Yet, the CDC notes that their data might not be fully accurate, given the limited number of virus sequences reported.
Fortunately, NB.1.8.1 doesn’t seem to pose a greater global risk than other variants. According to the WHO, the existing Covid-19 vaccines continue to provide sufficient protection against severe illness and hospitalizations caused by these emerging variants.
Dr. Peter Ching-Hong, an expert in infectious diseases at the University of California, San Francisco, shared with ABC News that many Covid-19 patients report having sore throats. “I think it’s certainly within the spectrum of symptoms. We know that sore throats are reported by about 70% of Covid patients, so it’s not unusual, and medicine always shows us there’s a spectrum,” he noted.
