From China to US: ‘Razor Blade’ COVID on Rise 

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A fast-spreading COVID variant, NB.1.8.1—dubbed “razor blade throat”—is surging across the US, causing severe sore throat symptoms. 

United States: One of the newer forms of COVID-19 might be responsible for an intense sore throat in some individuals who become infected with the virus. 

The variant is referred to as NB.1.8.1, and it has been referred to by some individuals as the razor blade throat due to the symptoms. 

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The new variant has been identified in multiple states of the US, as shown by the data of the open global genome sequencing database GISAID in New York, Illinois, Texas, and California. 

According to public health specialists who spoke to ABC News, there is yet no reason to be alarmed as of now since the virus does not seem to be more dangerous than the earlier versions, and something can be done to exercise caution. 

NB.1.8.1 is formed of the patchwork version XVD.1.5.1, which belongs to the omicron lineage. 

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) reported that the first sample of NB.1.8.1 was received on Jan. 22, 2021, as stated by the World Health Organization (WHO). 

It was first noticed in China as well as other regions in Asia, then it spread to Europe. The WHO described it as a variant under monitoring since it might need prioritized study and tracking but is not severe enough to be classified as either a variant of interest or a variant of concern. 

By the week ending June 7, the NB.1.8.1 variant is the second most prevalent in the US, with an estimated 37 percent of cases, as stated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

It seems that the virus is becoming more transmissible due to the appearance of changes in the spike protein that the virus uses to attach itself to and infect the cells, Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, professor of medicine and an infectious disease expert at the University of California, San Francisco, said. 

It also appears to bind more readily to ACE2 receptors, which are proteins on the surface of the cells and in what is a mechanism of entry of the virus that causes COVID, he told ABC News.