Two new COVID-19 variants are spreading through the U.S., and medical providers in Connecticut are expecting an uptick in cases in the coming weeks.
NB.1.8.1, also known as Nimbus, has become the dominant variant throughout the country and health officials say that while sequencing efforts have declined, it appears to be a driver of new cases in Connecticut.
Another variant, XFG, or Stratus, was recently labeled a “variant under monitoring” by the World Health Organization and was cited as the third most common in the U.S. in late June, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Nowcast estimates. The LP.8.1 variant, prevalent during the winter, remained the second most common.
Some Connecticut hospital physicians have reported seeing more COVID patients in recent weeks.
“We have seen an increase in COVID patients. They’re being treated with the appropriate medications,” said Dr. Husnain Kermalli, chief medical officer at Saint Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury. “Their hospitalizations, thankfully, have not been very complicated. We’ve been managing them effectively and getting them back out into the community.”
COVID cases have been on the rise in parts of the South and along portions of the West Coast, as well as in some midwestern and northeastern states. Connecticut has not yet seen a summer swell of infections, but health officials say cases could increase in the coming weeks.
“We have seen summer waves just about every year, so I don’t think it would be unexpected for us to see COVID cases start to increase,” said Dr. Lynn Sosa, director of infectious diseases at the state Department of Public Health.
Here’s what to know about the new variants.
Newest variants appear to be more transmissible.
Nimbus was first detected in the U.S. in early spring, and Stratus began picking up steam not long after.
Both appear to be more transmissible than previous variants, but there is no evidence to suggest they are more severe, health officials said.
“As the virus evolves, the main thing is the latest version of it can transmit easier,” Sosa said. “What’s going to make it more able to survive, to keep going, is the fact that it’s more easily spread. If not, it can’t compete with other strains.”
“If any variant is more easily spread than the previous one, eventually Stratus will probably take over.”
Dr. Ulysses Wu, chief epidemiologist and system director for infectious diseases at Hartford HealthCare, said the newest variants are not more severe than previous versions.
“It’s about the same,” he said, adding: “Your risk for long COVID is still going to be the same.”
Sore throat and hoarseness are reported as key symptoms.
Nimbus has garnered the nickname “razor blade throat” in national news reports after several people noted severe sore throat as a key symptom of the variant.
And some medical providers say hoarseness appears to be a pronounced symptom with Stratus.
“The symptoms are — what have been described amongst the social media gathering — a razor blade sensation, a pretty severe sore throat, along with some gastrointestinal symptoms of nausea, maybe some vomiting. Those are probably telltale signs of having this type of variant in your system,” Kermalli said of Nimbus.
But most symptoms of the two newest variants are generally consistent with previous strains, health officials said.
“They’re not much different,” Wu said. “For Nimbus, they’re giving the name ‘razor blade throat,’ but sore throat has always happened with COVID. And then for Stratus, the symptom is a scratchy voice, or what I like to call … ‘smoker’s voice,’ that’s probably a little bit new, but it doesn’t really mean anything different.”
Cough, fever, shortness of breath, fatigue, headaches and body aches remain common symptoms of COVID.
Doctors urge people to stay home if sick.
Medical providers recommend staying home when feeling ill. At-home testing kits are available.
The COVID vaccines are expected to remain effective against symptomatic and severe disease with Stratus and Nimbus, according to the World Health Organization. Health officials suggested staying up to date on vaccination.
“For the public, I would say, take your same precautions,” Wu said. “Your protection is still the same. You should still get vaccinated. You should still wear a mask. … If you have a high suspicion [of illness], you should do several tests, and at the very least, you should be masking to prevent transmission.”
“If you’re sick, you should stay home, because these are really transmissible variants. That’s the best way to keep other people healthy,” Sosa added. “We want people to cover their cough if they have to go out. We want people to wash their hands. All the things that we would normally do, those are the same things we should keep doing with these variants.”
Recovery time and treatment are the same.
Recovery from COVID varies from person to person, but recovery times with the newest variants are generally the same as with prior versions, health officials said.
“Let’s say day zero is symptom onset. Probably by days seven to 10, they’re going to start to feel better,” Kermalli said. “For some people, it’s going to be on the inside of day four, day five; for others, it might last all the way up to day 15. If symptoms have lasted longer, it’s probably going to take you a little bit longer to get back up to full speed again.”
The treatments are also similar.
“For people who get sick, especially if they’re older or if they have underlying medical conditions, they should talk to their doctor about treatment,” Sosa said. “Treatments are still available for COVID, specifically Paxlovid.”
