A new COVID-19 variant spreading across the United States may cause an extremely painful sore throat—dubbed the "razor throat"—among its symptoms. The new "Nimbus" strain, also known as COVID-19 NB 1.

The newest concerning variant of covid-19 is rapidly advancing across the U.S. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that NB.1.8.1 has started to supplant other circulating strains of the coronavirus.

COVID appears to be on the rise as a new, highly contagious subvariant — featuring “razor blade throat” symptoms overseas — is becoming increasingly dominant.

The NB.1.8.1 COVID-19 variant was linked to a large surge of hospitalizations in parts of Asia earlier this year.

The COVID-19 subvariant "Nimbus" is known for its ultra-contagious and painful sore throat, described as "razor blade throat."

While COVID-19 transmission remains low in the US, health experts are anxious about the potential for a big summer wave as two factors seem set for a collision course: a lull in infection activity that suggests protective responses have likely waned in the population, and a new SARS-CoV-2 variant with an infectious advantage over other variants.

NB.1.8.1 — a new COVID-19 variant tied to a surge in China — now accounts for around 37% of cases in the U.S., according to variant proportion estimates from the CDC. Four notes: