A painful sore throat, often referred to as "razor blade throat", is just one of the symptoms of a new COVID-19 variant. This variant is currently being monitored by the World Health Organization.

Multiple news reports have linked the subvariant, NB 1.8.1, to "razor blade throat," in part because of postings on social media that likened symptoms to swallowing razor blades. But experts say those scattered anecdotal reports don’t mean COVID-19 today is more likely to cause severe throat pain than in the past.