The uptick in cases, caused by a variant of the virus nicknamed “razor blade throat,” comes as many Americans have likely gone a year or longer without Covid shots.

By Shreya Srinivasan and Berkeley Lovelace Jr.

As Covid cases begin to rise this summer, many may be wondering: What are my risks, and is it time to get another vaccine?

As of July 15, Covid cases were growing or likely growing in 27 states including Texas, Illinois, Kentucky, Virginia and Ohio, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Rates of positive Covid tests have also been increasing in recent weeks, the CDC says, specifically in the southern region of the country.

N.B.1.8.1 is the current dominant variant in the United States, accounting for 43% of all new Covid cases, according to the CDC. It’s an offshoot of the XVD.1.5.1 strain, a descendant of the omicron variant. N.B.1.8.1 was responsible for a surge in hospitalizations in China earlier this year.

It’s been nicknamed “razor blade throat,” as there have been anecdotal reports of some people getting painful sore throats, said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Schaffner noted, however, that sore throats have been a common symptom of Covid since it first began spreading.

“I doubt the clinical spectrum of Covid has changed substantially,” Schaffner said.

Do I need a Covid booster? When will the new vaccines be available?

The uptick in cases comes as many Americans have likely gone a year or longer without a Covid shot.

In May, the Food and Drug Administration asked drugmakers to update their Covid vaccines to target the LP.8.1 strain, a descendent of JN.1, which began spreading widely in 2023 and is another offshoot of omicron. LP.8.1 currently accounts for 31% of all new cases, per the CDC.

The new shots won’t be available until the fall, and are expected to be approved only for adults 65 and up and kids and adults with at least one medical condition that puts them at risk of severe illness. Healthy kids and adults who want a shot may have to find an older version or pay out of pocket. A single dose can cost as much as $140.

Experts say, however, that population immunity — whether from vaccination, prior infection or both — may shield much of the public for now.

“While we don’t have a lot of high level of immunity in the population right now, because it’s been so long, we may have enough low level immunity to just make it a little bit harder for that virus to transmit easily from person to person,” said Andy Pekosz, an infectious disease researcher at Johns Hopkins University.

Indeed, weekly hospitalization rates have remained low, suggesting that the new variant may not be leading to severe illness.

The number of cases are still drastically lower than those this time last year, when the test positivity rate peaked in August at 17.9%. The 2025 season has yet to scrape 5%.

Pekosz said it isn’t unusual for cases to rise during the summer time, when people are likely to crowd indoors to escape the heat. However, he believes that if there is a summer surge of cases, it will be a small one.

“The variants have been around for a while and haven’t caused any major surges up until date,” Pekosz said. “So again, I’m hopeful that if we see a surge, it’ll be a low level surge compared to previous years.”