'Razor Blade Throat' COVID Subvariant: What To Know In CT

CONNECTICUT — A new COVID-19 subvariant born from Omicron has become the dominant strain in the U.S.

Dubbed "Nimbus" (NB.181), the highly contagious version of coronavirus is characterized by its extremely painful sore throat, described as "razor blade throat" overseas.

As of June 13, Nimbus has been detected in at least 14 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, New Jersey, New York, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington, according to data from the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data database. Surrounded as it is by infected states, experts believe it's likely there are unreported cases in Connecticut.

Those who have contracted the strain and previously similar variants have described intense throat pain akin to having a throat lined with shards of glass.

But Will It Be as Bad as the Summer of '22?

“It’s hard to predict whether this variant or another will take off and cause a wave ... but it's likely that it won’t be as severe as what we experienced before 2023,” Dr. Albert Ko, professor of public health, epidemiology and medicine at Yale School of Public Health, told NBC.

As of the first week of June, 289 people in Connecticut had reported testing positive for any strain of COVID, according to the Connecticut Department of Health.

“Before Omicron, I think most people presented with the usual loss of taste and smell as the predominant symptom and shortness of breath,” Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, a UC San Francisco infectious disease expert told the Los Angeles Times.

These days, those sickened by COVID are less likely to be hospitalized, but patients tend to focus on other symptoms, such as a painful sore throat, Chin-Hong said.

Nimbus, which originated in China, accounts for an estimated 37 percent of cases nationwide, according to data collected over two weeks starting on June 7.

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The Nimbus Advantage

“What sets NB.1.8.1 apart is how quickly it spreads,” said Dr. Magdalena Sobieszczyk, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

“It has a genetic advantage: mutations that make it easy for it to bind to receptors on human cells. The mutations could allow NB.1.8.1 to spread faster and therefore infect more people.”

Luckily, experts say that the traditional methods of warding off COVID-19 are effective against Nimbus, such as vaccination, wearing a mask and washing hands.

Nimbus first reached the U.S. likely in March, around when it was first detected through airport screening programs for international travelers, TODAY reported.

In Connecticut, COVID levels found in wastewater are at a "very low" level," according to the CDC.

With Patch editor Kat Schuster