Two new Covid-19 variants, known as Stratus and Nimbus, are driving a surge in infections across the United States, with distinctive symptoms including a croaky voice and a sharp, ‘razor blade’ sore throat, experts warn.
Dr Aaron Glatt, an infectious disease specialist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, told Today.com that patients are reporting ‘severe pain, as if their throat is covered with razor blades.’ He added that while not specific to Covid-19, this symptom has been described by some patients infected with the latest variants.
The strains, designated XFB (Stratus) and NB.1.8.1 (Nimbus), are spreading rapidly, particularly in the northeastern US. Nationwide, Covid wastewater levels are ‘moderate,’ according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but four states—Nevada, Utah, Delaware and Connecticut—are recording ‘very high’ levels.
Dr Tyler Evans, an infectious diseases expert and former New York City chief medical officer, told the Daily Mail: ‘Covid activity is clearly on the rise again. While we’re in a much better place than in 2020, rising transmission still poses a risk to those with underlying conditions or limited access to care.’ He noted that the dominant strain, Nimbus, is an Omicron subvariant that spreads quickly but is not more severe than earlier forms.
Experts stress that even mild infections can lead to long Covid. Dr Laura Malone, director of the Pediatric Post-Covid-19 Rehabilitation Clinic at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, told The New York Times: ‘Just because you got through your first infection and didn’t develop long Covid, it’s not that you are completely out of the woods.’
In the UK, the Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reported that Covid positivity rose from 7.6% to 8.4% in a week, and hospital admissions increased from 2 to 2.73 per 100,000. The UKHSA advises anyone with symptoms to stay at home if possible and avoid contact with vulnerable people.
