By Tim Reid and Kristina Cooke LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Juan Ibarra stands outside his fruit and vegetable outlet in Los Angeles' vast fresh produce market, the place in the city center where Hispanic restaurateurs,

COVID appears to be on the rise as a new, highly contagious subvariant — featuring “razor blade throat” symptoms overseas — is becoming increasingly dominant.

The newest concerning variant of covid-19 is rapidly advancing across the U.S. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that NB.1.8.1 has started to supplant other circulating strains of the coronavirus.

The COVID Recovery Clinic, created in 2021, coordinated treatment efforts for patients whose COVID-19 symptoms persisted long after a diagnosis.

Infectious disease expert and CEO of Wellness and Equity Alliance, Dr. Tyler B Evans, previously told Newsweek that there was "no clear evidence that this subvariant presents dramatically different symptoms from other recent strains. "We're still seeing common indicators like sore throat, nasal congestion, fatigue, and cough," he said.

While COVID-19 transmission remains low in the US, health experts are anxious about the potential for a big summer wave as two factors seem set for a collision course: a lull in infection activity that suggests protective responses have likely waned in the population, and a new SARS-CoV-2 variant with an infectious advantage over other variants.

After federal health officials made abrupt changes to US Covid-19 vaccine recommendations for pregnant women last month, there’s new confusion and uncertainty about who can get the shots — and some reports that patients were turned away when they tried to get vaccinated.

About 48% of fully vaccinated COVID patients suffered kidney damage during their infection, compared with 42% unvaccinated patients. But nearly 16% of unvaccinated patients had kidney damage so severe they required dialysis, compared with 11% of vaccinated patients.

NB.1.8.1, a new COVID-19 variant that has caused concern among WHO officials, is now spreading in America, according to CDC data.

COVID-19 appears to be on the rise in some parts of California as a new, highly contagious subvariant — featuring 'razor blade throat' symptoms overseas — is becoming increasingly dominant.

This is especially pertinent as a new Covid variant known as NB.1.8.1 (or Nimbus) is reportedly spreading across the UK. UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data shows that hospital admissions related to Covid have recently increased by nearly 10 per cent, with 947 patients admitted in the week ending May 31.