I thought COVID was over?

Apparently not.

The WHO has announced that a new COVID variant named Nimbus has appeared in the United States and Europe.

The Hill shared the story more in-depth:

The World Health Organization (WHO) is keeping an eye on a new COVID-19 variant called NB.1.8.1, or “Nimbus,” that has spread across Europe, the Americas and the Western Pacific.

Nimbus is a descendant of the Omicron variant of the virus and was first identified in late January.

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Its spike mutations appear to make it more transmissible than other COVID-19 variants, according to the WHO. Spike mutations refer to changes in spike proteins, which sit on the surface of the virus and help it enter healthy cells.

While it is spreading in the U.S. and Canada, along with 20 other countries, it does not appear to be driving an increase in sickness or hospitalization.

In April, NB.1.8.1 sequences made up 10.7 percent of all submitted sequences from confirmed COVID infections, up from 2.5 percent a month earlier, according to a risk evaluation released by the WHO.

One of the symptoms of the new variant is a severe sore throat.

New Covid Variant Causes Sore Throat That Feels Like ‘Razor Blades’ https://t.co/vDuLh2brZy

— People (@people) June 11, 2025

People described the symptoms of the new variant:

This strain, Salon reports, causes “razor blade throat,” or a severe sore throat; Other symptoms include traditional flu-like symptoms like congestion, fatigue, a mild cough, fever, and muscle aches, and more infrequently diarrhea and nausea, The Independent reports.

Per that outlet, WHO says global risk is “currently low, and existing Covid-19 vaccines are considered effective in preventing severe disease.” But as Dr. Rajendram Rajnarayanan, of the New York Institute of Technology, told Salon, “NB.1.8.1 is a strong candidate for the summer surge.”

“I know that everybody wants to forget about this disease, but it’s not going to allow us to,” Dr. Janko Nikolich, Professor and Chair of the Department of Immunobiology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine said, according to ABC Action News.

Here’s how users on X responded to the news:

The new Covid Nimbus variant.
Because only a Nimbus would believe it… https://t.co/kKI86goGTR

— Naughty Beaver (@beaver_naughty) June 7, 2025

Oh No?!? It’s the dreaded 97% infectious Nimbus Variant! Get your masks on and jabs booked NOW!!
pic.twitter.com/lJ0SdkAEVq

— JoJoGizmo (@Lostboyjojo) June 6, 2025

A new, highly contagious COVID-19 Varient, ‘Nimbus,’ has been detected in the UK. pic.twitter.com/JM6E6E2nUk

— Sydney Jones (POB) (@JournoJones05) June 7, 2025

I think most people have moved past COVID.

What about you?

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport.

View the original article here.