A new, more contagious COVID-19 variant — and the particularly painful sore throat it causes — is spreading this summer.
NB.1.8.1, or Nimbus, is more contagious because it is better able to bind to cell receptors in the body as compared to recent past variants, said Erin Carlson, a clinical professor at the University of Texas at Arlington and an infectious disease expert with a doctorate in public health.
“It’s just like the difference between — for those of us originally from snowy, cold places — if you’re slipping and sliding in your regular athletic shoes on the ice, versus if you put crampon spikes on your shoes, how that’s going to dig into the ice,” Carlson said.
Those infected with this variant have reported a very painful sore throat, which has earned the nickname “razor blade throat,” and more are experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, bloating and diarrhea than did with past variants, Carlson said.
Otherwise, the symptoms are the same as past iterations of the virus — including fever, cough, congestion and fatigue.
Like other variants, some individuals face a higher risk of getting seriously ill, such as those who are diabetic, immunocompromised or immunosuppressed. Carlson said those infected should keep their distance from others while contagious.
“It’s still very important that if we think we’re sick to stay at home, to wear a mask, those kinds of things, so we don’t infect somebody who could potentially get very sick from this,” Carlson said.
Although Nimbus is more contagious, Carlson said, it is not more dangerous or deadly for those who catch it.
“It’s not actually causing more damage to the host, it just has the weird symptom of this sore throat,” she said.
One reason researchers suspect COVID-19 cases increase during the summer months is because many people get COVID-19 vaccines in the fall when they get the flu vaccine, and their immunity is waning by summer, Carlson said.
“It’s something that is worth discussing with your health care provider more than once a year to see if you should be getting a booster going into that high COVID season in the summer, especially if you are somebody who is susceptible to severe disease,” Carlson said.
The best way to protect yourself against the virus is to stay current with your vaccinations, Carlson said.
Precautions like wearing a mask and washing your hands are also still applicable.
“Public health professionals consider this now to be an endemic disease, meaning that it’s part of our lives,” Carlson said. “Get used to getting the vaccine. Get used to wearing masks during high times if you’re concerned about getting sick. This is the way of life.”
McKinnon Rice is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at mckinnon.rice@fortworthreport.org.
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