The painful symptom reported by those affected by the new COVID strain: "It's like a knife."

The new variant of COVID-19 , the disease caused by the coronavirus, is beginning to dominate worldwide. Known as NB 1.8.1 or Nimbus , this strain has some unique characteristics.

In a report published this Friday, the Mirror reports that one of the symptoms of Nimbus is an intense sore throat, which, according to the outlet, is so sharp it feels like a "knife" when swallowing.

"It's common for people to report a severe sore throat, persistent fatigue, mild cough, fever, muscle aches, and nasal congestion. Some also experience digestive issues like nausea or diarrhea, which isn't always common with COVID-19 variants," Dr. Mohamed Imran Lakhii tells the Mirror .

Currently, the Nimbus strain is the dominant strain in China and accounts for one-third of cases in the US. Furthermore, this variant has mutations that allow it to spread more easily, making it more infectious than previous variants.

Furthermore, vaccines and previous infections have been found to be about half as effective at blocking Nimbus infections as other strains.

A World Health Organization spokesperson stated: "Currently approved COVID-19 vaccines are expected to maintain their efficacy against this variant , both in symptomatic and severe cases."

"Despite the simultaneous increase in cases and hospitalizations in some countries where the NB.1.8.1 variant is widespread, current data do not indicate that this variant causes more severe disease than other circulating variants," the source added.