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.

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.

A new COVID-19 strain has been reported in dozens of countries, including the U.S. Here's what you should know about it.

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: