“Razor Blade Throat” And A Traveling “Nimbus”: What's Up With The NB.1.8.1 COVID-19 Variant?

Thought we’d seen the last of it? Sorry to disappoint, but there’s a new COVID-19 variant gallivanting across the globe. Its official title is NB.1.8.1, but some have taken to calling it “Nimbus”. In the Southern Hemisphere, where flu season is just starting to ramp up, medics are bracing for a new wave of cases, but that doesn’t mean that we in the north will get off scot-free. So, what kind of symptoms are people reporting?

Prepare to experience déjà vu. So far, the symptoms of the Nimbus variant don’t seem to be hugely different from what we’ve seen with all the previous variants. As a member of the Omicron lineage of SARS-CoV-2 variants, it makes sense that Nimbus would present very similarly to its predecessors.

That means the familiar constellation of:

-Cough

-Congestion

-Headaches

-Fatigue

-Sore throat

-Fever (in some cases)

-Gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea and diarrhea

Symptoms will vary from person-to-person and also depending on your vaccination status – rest assured that according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the most recent round of COVID vaccines should still offer decent protection against the Nimbus variant. 

One thing does seem to be a bit different this time around, though. There’s been a reported surge in online searches for the term “razor blade throat”, suggesting people are experiencing particularly painful sore throats just now. 

There’s no guarantee that everyone with respiratory symptoms has COVID. If it’s summer where you are, it could be hay fever, which can be really tricky to tell apart from viral infections. There are also always other viruses circulating besides SARS-CoV-2 – as we said, the Southern Hemisphere’s flu season is just kicking off, and counterintuitive though it may seem, you can catch the common cold at any time of year. 

A positive COVID test is the only way to be reasonably sure that that’s what you’ve got. As usual, the advice while you’re sick is to stay away from others as much as possible and consider wearing a mask if you have to be in contact with other people. Medicines like paracetamol (acetaminophen) can help relieve symptoms – and as a bonus, we might finally now understand how it actually works. We’d recommend steering clear of the sock onions though. 

And if you have any symptoms that concern you, particularly things like shortness of breath, it’s always best to seek professional medical advice. 

Experts will continue to closely monitor the virus, including this new variant. In a recent piece for The Conversation, virologist Lara Herrero from Griffith University said there’s some evidence to suggest that Nimbus can spread more easily than earlier variants, but no reason to think it will cause more severe disease overall. 

“Its spread has been identified in around 22 countries,” GP Dr Naveed Asif told the Independent, so it is definitely making the rounds. The latest data from the WHO at time of writing did show a global increase in cases compared to the previous 28-day period, but we’re still nowhere near the peak of the pandemic before vaccines were available. 

Anyway, we’re all old hands at dealing with COVID now, right? Not that we don’t miss the Before Times… so here’s a little gift straight from 2019: scientists once trained rats to play hide and seek, and it made them literally jump for joy. 

The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.