The NB.1.8.1 variant may have some symptoms that other Covid strains don’t cause
The UK has reported cases of the new Covid variant, Nimbus or NB. 1.8.1, with a rise in Covid-related hospital admissions by almost 10% in the last week of May, following a warning from the World Health Organisation (WHO). Sufferers of the new variant have described a “razor blade throat” symptom.
This reportedly feels like blades scratching the back of your throat every time you swallow. A very painful symptom and those suffering from it have been advised to get rest, fluids and painkillers to manage the condition.
Dr Naveed Asif, a GP at The London General Practice, spoke to the Independent, highlighting this symptom as “distinctive” for Nimbus.
The NHS is also recommending that anyone who suspects they may have Covid should isolate at home. The UKHSA has issued a warning about other symptoms too: “If you have symptoms of a respiratory infection, such as COVID-19, and you have a high temperature or do not feel well enough to go to work or carry out normal activities, you should avoid contact with vulnerable people and stay at home if possible.”
Further advice on how to live with Covid, including what to do if unable to self-isolate, can be found on the Gov.uk website.
First identified in January, Nimbus has been spreading globally and is now considered the dominant strain in China and accounts for a third of cases in the US. It is thought to be the driving factor behind a new surge of cases in Australia.
A recent preprint study indicates that the Nimbus variant binds more efficiently to human cells. This may allow for easier transmission and raise the possibility of it bypassing the immunity that most of the population has gained from previous infections.
The research surrounding Nimbus has yet to undergo peer review. However, it’s worth noting that the WHO has stated that existing Covid vaccines are effective against this new strain.
Salon reports there is no evidence at this stage suggesting that Nimbus leads to more severe illness than other Covid variants.
Dr. T. Ryan Gregory, a researcher from the University of Guelph in Canada, expressed caution to the publication: “That said, we learned from Omicron that high transmissibility can cause as much damage as high per infection virulence and at this point it is not just acute severity that is of concern, but longer-term impacts of repeated infection.”
He went on to explain to Salon that identifying specific symptoms unique to the Nimbus variant could be challenging due to the presence of multiple variants and that testing levels are presently lower than they were during peak periods of the pandemic.
Last week, Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, UKHSA deputy director, announced: “NB.1.8.1 has been detected in small numbers in the UK to date, but international data suggests that it is growing as a proportion of all Covid cases.
“Based on the available information so far however, there is no evidence to suggest that this variant causes more severe disease than previous variants, or that the vaccines in current use will be less effective against it.”