Nimbus COVID update: CDC tracker shows the NB.1.8.1 ‘razor blade throat’ variant is now dominant

A new variant of COVID-19, nicknamed "Nimbus," has been spreading globally and has become the dominant strain in the US. Nimbus is a subvariant of Omicron and was first detected in January 2025. By May, it began to gain a foothold in the US, and by the week ending June 21, it accounted for 43% of all COVID-19 cases in America. The variant has been reported in 18 states, including Arizona, California, and New York, among others. The symptoms of Nimbus are similar to those of other COVID-19 variants, but some people have reported a harsher throat pain, nicknamed "razor blade throat." To protect oneself from Nimbus, the CDC recommends staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccines, practicing good hygiene, and ensuring good air circulation. Precautionary measures are important as Nimbus can be deadly, with 128 reported COVID-19-related deaths in the US during a seven-day period ending June 8. The World Health Organization has reported 228 COVID-19-related deaths globally during the same period. The CDC is having difficulty tracking the spread of Nimbus due to a lower number of sequences being reported. As a result, the CDC's Nowcast data has low precision in the most recent reporting period.