2 days ago
All you need to know about new Covid strain 'Nimbus' as doctors issue UK warning
The new variant, called NB.1.8.1, or 'Nimbus' spreads more easily than previous strains on the virus, spreading rapidly around the globe.
Doctors have issued a warning for the UK over the new easily transmissible strain of Covid, called 'Nimubs', which has seen a surge of in the country. The new variant, also called NB.1.8.1, is making up a "growing proportion" of Covid cases worldwide, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
China and Hong Kong have seen a surge in cases as well as 21 other countries, and 13 cases have already been found in the UK, warned doctors. Symptoms of Nimbus are similar to previous variants, with a painful sore throat and even heartburn reported as key signs of the new strain.
According to Dr Naveed Asif, GP at The London General Practice, the NB.1.8.1 variant has a distinctive symptom, a severe sore throat known as a "razor blade sensation".
Common Covid symptoms like fever, muscle aches and congestion as well as redness in the back of the mouth and swollen neck glands are also listed symptoms of NB.1.8.1.
"However, symptoms can vary widely so vigilance is key," Dr Asif told the Manchester Evening News. According to the NHS, Covid symptoms include a high temperature, a new continuous cough, a loss or change to sense of smell or taste, shortness of breath and feeling sick.
Although classic Covid symptoms include a severe cough, sore throat and high fever, NB.1.8.1 has also been found to have gastrointestinal symptoms.
Symptoms of the new variant include:
Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhoea
Heartburn
Bloating
Constipation
Abdominal pain
The World Health Organization (WHO) has added the variant to its official watch list, suggesting that it is more transmissible than other strains of the virus.
However, there isn't any evidence to indicate that it causes more serious illness than previous versions of Covid.
Nimbus first appeared in January, and by late April it was responsible for around 10.7 per cent of global infections, up from just 2.5 per cent a month earlier. Recent weeks have also seen a spike of cases in Ireland.
Data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) shows that the proportion of sequenced Covid samples linked to NB.1.8.1 jumped from 3.7 per cent to 27.3 per cent in the last five weeks.
The variant has been flagged in the UK, US and Australia, and has been linked to spikes in Covid cases in India, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand.
Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, UKHSA Deputy Director, said: "NB.1.8.1 has been detected in small numbers in the UK to date, but international data suggests that it is growing as a proportion of all COVID-19 cases.
"Based on the available information so far however, there is no evidence to suggest that this variant causes more severe disease than previous variants, or that the vaccines in current use will be less effective against it."
'Variants like this pop up when the virus mutates, which is normal for viruses, especially ones that spread widely,' explained Dr Chun Tang, GP at Pall Mall Medical.
'NB.1.8.1 was first picked up in early 2025 and has since been detected in several countries, including the UK, China and US. It's got some new mutations that scientists are keeping a close eye on.'
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