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The newest COVID-19 variant NB.18.1, also called Nimbus, has been spreading rapidly and has been coming up with one significant symptom - ‘razor blade throat.’ This is because this symptom causes a painful sore throat that feels like there is a razor blade stuck in the throat as soon as you try to swallow. This symptom has been identified by the doctors in the U.K., India and everywhere else the Nimbus variant is prevalent, according to media outlets in the respective countries.
The variant causing the ‘razor blade throat’ started seeing a rise in numbers late last month in regions like Southeast Asia, Mediterranean and western Pacific regions, according to the World Health Organization. The new variant also had reached about 11% of sequenced samples reported globally in mid-May.
It was after the airport screenings in the United States that the new variant was found in travelers arriving from these regions to destinations like Washington state, New York and California.
Medical experts have said that this symptom is not a cause for concern as the Nimbus strain is not risky. The WHO has also said that some western Pacific countries have reported an increase in COVID cases and hospitalization but so far there is nothing that suggests that the new variant is more severe or deadly as compared to other variants. Doctors have said that the COVID-19 vaccines are also effective against Nimbus.
The WHO has designated Nimbus to be a ‘variant under monitoring’ and is considering that this variant poses a low public health risk at the global level. Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr had announced last month that COVID-19 vaccine shots are no longer recommended for children that are healthy and pregnant women. This move has since been questioned by multiple public health experts and continues to be the centre of discussion when it comes to COVID-19 and its variants.