New COVID Variant Has Unique Symptom—How to Prevent and Relieve It

Doctors share methods for alleviating the symptom and improving the body’s immunity.

Samples from people to be tested for the new coronavirus at a laboratory in Wuhan, China. STR/AFP via Getty Images

Since May, a fast-growing lineage of the virus that causes COVID-19, NB.1.8.1, has been dominant in China, spreading to adjacent countries and bringing an increase in hospitalizations and emergency room admissions.

The variant has also spread to the United States, although case numbers are low.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention previously told The Epoch Times that NB.1.8.1 has fewer than 20 sequences in baseline surveillance, which is too few to be included in the agency’s COVID variant dashboard. The dashboard shows only variants with at least 300 sequences.

Currently, the dominant variant in the United States is LP.8.1. However, early research suggests that NB.1.8.1 may be more transmissible than LP.8.1.

One notable, distinctive symptom of the new variant is sore throat. Doctors have shared with The Epoch Times methods to alleviate the symptom and to improve the body’s immunity.

What to Know About NB.1.8.1

NB.1.8.1 is more immune-evasive and better at interacting with ACE2 proteins—a protein in the human body that the coronavirus binds to, causing infections—compared with LP.8.1.1, an LP.8.1 subvariant, according to a preprint study published in April by Chinese researchers.

NB.1.8.1’s stronger immune evasion suggests that people who have gotten previous infections or vaccinations may still be susceptible to it.

The study authors concluded that, compared with other current variants, NB.1.8.1’s additional mutations give it the “potential for future dominance.”

While the virulence of the disease is still unknown, the World Health Organization said that NB.1.8.1 does not cause more severe disease than other variants.

Currently, the most distinctive symptom of NB.1.8.1 compared with other variants is a sore throat, according to news reports from China. Chinese citizens online have described the symptom as feeling like a “razor-blade throat.”

Dr. Joseph Varon, professor of medicine at the University of Houston, said that he has seen a rise in acute COVID-19 infections as people come out of spring break, although most of the acute patients recover a few days after treatment.

Dr. Keith Berkowitz, internal physician at Centers for Balanced Health in New York, has also noticed an increase in acute infections.

However, he has also seen a more worrying trend where patients are reporting lingering symptoms that coincide with a resurgence of other viruses, such as the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).

Studies have shown that following COVID-19 infection, a decline in immunity may lead to the reactivation of other viruses such as EBV and other herpes viruses, which are slower to resolve, Berkowitz said.

Projections by Mike Hoerger, an associate professor at Tulane University School of Medicine who shares COVID-19 forecasts on social media platform X, indicate that U.S. cases are currently in a lull, although he said he expects this to shift into a rise in the coming weeks.

“I think for COVID cases, we always follow China, traditionally,” Berkowitz said.

In the United States, NB.1.8.1 has been reported in a few states including California, Hawaii, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Washington.

Prevention and Treatment for COVID Sore Throat

Varon, who has treated a few patients who have recently traveled from China, said that sore throat indeed has been a key complaint heard from his patients compared with other common symptoms of COVID-19 such as shortness of breath or fever.

“It’s really kind of like a self limited illness. Within two to three days, most patients say, ‘I’m feeling better,’” Varon told The Epoch Times. Self limited illness means that the disease will naturally resolve on its own.

He recommends taking vitamin C, vitamin D, and zinc both during acute infections and as a preventive measure to strengthen the body’s immune defenses. He also advises using iodopovidone sprays in the nose and mouth to address sore throat.

A small clinical trial suggested that iodopovidone spray can reduce viral load in COVID-19 patients.

Varon said that sprays with concentrations of iodine below 1.25 percent are preferable so that it won’t cause nasal and throat irritation.

Iodopovidone sprays release a broad spectrum antimicrobial agent that helps kill germs and inactivate viruses.

People who have underlying thyroid problems, however, may need to consult with their doctors, as iodine sprays may interfere with the body’s production of thyroid hormones.

Berkowitz recommends that for sore throats and swollen glands, patients can use n-acetylcysteine (NAC).

Cell studies have shown that NAC can bind to spike proteins on the SARS-CoV-2 virus to inactivate the virus and prevent it from causing infections, but it is also a well-known anti-mucolytic, meaning it can break down mucus, Berkowitz said.

Additionally, throat rinses with a baking soda solution may also help relieve the infection as baking soda increases the pH in the oral cavity, which can make the environment less viable for viruses.