By LINDA BOYLE
The newest Covid variant is Nimbus (NB.1.8.1) a mutation of the Omicron variant. While touted as highly infectious, it doesn’t seem to cause hospitalizations or deaths at the levels seen with the original variant of delta. The overall severity of the variant has been marked as low.
This variant was first detected in China in January. In the two-week period that ended on June 21, Nimbus accounted for an estimated 43% of Covid cases in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nimbus can evade antibodies created by past infections or jabs even more easily than omicron (LP.8.1). Thus, It is apt to spread more rapidly.
The most common Nimbus symptoms are dry cough and shortness of breath. The signature symptom is a razor sharp sore throat. Patients have reported a sore throat so severe that it felt like swallowing “sharp metal objects.” The throat is so sore it often leaves those infected with a hoarse voice. The sore throat shows up about 24-48 hours after you are infected.
According to the CDC, all other possible Nimbus symptoms include:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Congestion or runny nose
- New loss of taste or smell
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- Nausea or vomiting
It’s interesting to see the loss of smell or taste a signature symptom of the original delta variant. However, it is only seen in 6-7% of those who contract Nimbus. It is therefore not a reliable indicator of Nimbus as you could have it without the loss of smell or the loss of smell may be due to something else. It is not known why this particular symptom has decreased over time although it is thought a higher immunity to the virus could be a factor.
While I cannot find a specific number of Nimbus infections in our state, here is a graph from Alaska Health Department that displays respiratory infections through May 31. With this particular variant multiplying quickly and being highly infectious, I am sure it is here in Alaska.
It is best to simply think it is already here and to be aware of the symptoms should you be exposed. The CDC expects numbers to rise during the summer months; and we have lots of visitors coming from all over the world to assist in the spread.
For the razor sharp sore throat:
- Drink warm (not hot) tea to soothe the throat lining.
- Add moisture to your room to avoid irritation in the throat.
- Eat light and slightly overcooked foods to ease swallowing.
- Do saltwater gargles to relieve throat pain and swelling.
- Look for lozenges with Menthol, Dyclonine, or Benzocaine, as these numb the area for some time, providing relief.
Like previous episodes of Covid, the treatment remains the same. Rest, fluids, painkillers, throat lozenges. If symptoms worsen, seek medical help.
Your contagious time will be from a few days before symptoms to eight to 10 days after.
Many people recover from symptoms like congestion, sore throat and cough in about two weeks. But tiredness, shortness of breath and other symptoms can linger for weeks or even months afterwards.
The World Health Organization stated they thought the previous jab would work on this new variant. The data from the CDC on the effectiveness of that jab against emergency room visits or urgent care visits was about 33%. The CDC doesn’t say if it was effective at preventing you from getting Nimbus; the jab just prevented emergency room or urgent care visits.
Nimbus is nimble. It is highly contagious. But it’s more like a serious cold.
Meanwhile, what will be the next Covid variant? Will anyone ever be held accountable for Covid?
Linda Boyle, RN, MSN, DM, was formerly the chief nurse for the 3rd Medical Group, JBER, and was the interim director of the Alaska VA. Most recently, she served as Director for Central Alabama VA Healthcare System. She is the director of the Alaska Covid Alliance/Alaskans 4 Personal Freedom.
Nice Linda! Thanks for providing reliable information provided by experts.
I’ll attempt to answer your question at the end if anyone will ever be held accountable for covid: No
Yes, people can get sick. A tale as old as time.
As far as the list of “symptoms”, those are the body’s immune responses when it is dealing with many kind of sicknesses, not just Covid. Attributing all these symptoms to just Covid, reeks of agenda, like last time.
My advice, don’t fall for the fear. Remember, the last covid scare was a psyop to get everyone to take the useless vaccine. Eat clean foods and water, breathe deeply, get sunshine and exercise. If you have a compromised immune system at this point, then you have been doing something wrong in your life.
Get good son.
Who gives a single, solitary f///? Take care of yourself by eating well, exercising, and turning off your f—— TV. If you seriously worry about this garbage flu, there’s no saving you.
So if this isn’t a new Winter Of Death, will it be a Winter of Slight Annoyance?
The covid vaccine gave my mother in law a fatal heart attack in 2023.
There are actual, qualified doctors who honestly believe that men can be changed into women and that women can be changed into men, that a two year old has a “gender identity”, that sex is “assigned at birth”. So much for qualifications. The masks, the distancing, the lockdowns, the poison “vaccine”- the fear mongering. All put in place for one reason: control. There is a proven cure for “covid”. Simply stop believing that it exists.
The symptoms are what we had last spring in our area; seemed everyone at school caught it. The sore throat was just as described. The the congestion and shortness of breath was pretty bad. Sleeping sitting up for awhile helped and cough suppressant also helped through the night or I’d cough too much to sleep. I missed 4 days of work.