A newly-emerged COVID-19 variant, NB.18.1 — colloquially dubbed Nimbus—is raising eyebrows globally with an unusually sharp and painful sore throat symptom, now widely described by patients as a “razor blade” sensation.
According to health officials and media reports in the United Kingdom, India, and other affected regions, patients infected with the Nimbus variant have reported that swallowing feels akin to “having a razor blade stuck in the throat.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) has noted that the variant began circulating late last month, especially in Southeast Asia, the Mediterranean, and the western Pacific regions. By mid-May, Nimbus reportedly accounted for approximately 11 per cent of globally sequenced COVID-19 samples.
Airport screenings in the United States have also detected the variant among travellers arriving from the aforementioned regions, particularly in Washington State, New York, and California.
Also read: India’s active Covid-19 cases fall to 6,483; four deaths reported
Despite its distinctive symptoms, experts have cautioned against panic. Medical authorities have stated that the variant does not appear to pose a higher risk compared to previous strains. “There is nothing to suggest that the new variant is more severe or deadly,” a WHO spokesperson clarified.
The World Health Organisation has officially classified Nimbus as a “variant under monitoring,” and it currently poses a low public health risk at a global level. Doctors have also affirmed that existing COVID-19 vaccines remain effective against the strain.
However, the health policy response to COVID-19 continues to be a matter of contention. United States Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently announced that COVID-19 vaccines are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women. The decision has drawn criticism from several public health experts and remains a subject of debate in policy and medical circles.
The surge in cases in western Pacific nations, coupled with hospitalisation spikes, remains under close scrutiny. Authorities continue to encourage vigilance while assuring the public that there is, for now, no cause for alarm.
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