With the start of the summertime, everyone is looking forward to beach days and sunshine. But a new variant of COVID-19 is on the rise. Called NB.1.8.1, a.k.a “Nimbus,” this mutation of the virus is being dubbed as the “Razor blade throat” sickness.
Below, we’re breaking down everything you need to know about the new COVID variant and how to prevent an infection.
What Is NB.1.8.1?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the first sample of NB.1.8.1 was collected earlier this year in January 2025. It was first discovered in China before it spread to Europe, and now, to the U.S. Among the symptoms of the variant are the usual ones associated with most COVID infections: sore throat, cough, fever, chills, shortness of breath, congestion, a runny nose, the loss of taste and/or smell, fatigue, muscle and body aches, headache and nausea.
Most people who got infected with the NB.1.8.1 variant reported painful sore throats that were worse than previous experiences. Many said they felt jagged, sharp pains in their throats, causing a severely uncomfortable sensation while trying to swallow.
This is how the term “razor blade throat” became associated with this form of COVID. However, it’s still unclear if the “razor blade” feeling is more common in patients that are more up to date on their COVID vaccinations compared to those who are not, per ABC News.
University of California, San Francisco, professor of medicine and infectious disease specialist Dr. Peter Chin-Hong said, “I think it’s certainly amongst the spectrum of symptoms that you can get, and we know that sore throat is reported by about 70 percent of patients now with COVID, so it’s not unusual, and like with everything in medicine, there’s always a spectrum,” according to ABC News.
How Do You Get Infected by This COVID Variant?
Dr. Chin-Hong said this variant of the virus appears to be more transmissible. As with other viruses, NB.1.8.1 spreads whenever an infected person coughs or sneezes in the presence of an uninfected person.
To avoid an infection, wash hands and avoid people who are sick.
How to Differentiate Between ‘Razor Blade Throat’ & Other Viruses
Other viruses tend to start with a sore throat in various patients, but with NB.1.8.1, people have complained about experiencing more sweaty fevers and extremely painful sore throats. With most other viruses, a sore throat comes with a dry, achy or burning sensation when swallowing. With NB.1.8.1, the sore throat comes with sharp pains.
