A new COVID strain has become increasingly more common in the U.S. in recent weeks and can cause a painful symptom that some are calling "razor blade throat." COVID variant, NB.1.8.1, nicknamed Nimbus,

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.

The latest COVID variant is causing a distinctive symptom: a sore throat so severe it's nicknamed "razor blade throat." Some patients report a sharp, stabbing pain when they swallow, often at the back of the throat. Because of that, the new variant is informally being called "Nimbus," a name that refers to a jagged type of storm cloud.