China Faces New Wave of COVID-19 With Sharp, Burning Throat Symptoms Dubbed “Razor Throat”

“Razor throat” is a term used in China to describe a severe sore throat, similar to swallowing shards of glass or a razor blade,

  Experts say China is experiencing a new wave of COVID-19, with patients reporting symptoms of severe sore throats that feel like they are burning. 

 Zhong Nanshan, one of China’s leading pulmonologists and epidemiologists, said in an interview with local media on May 19 that “razor throat” symptoms are more prominent in this wave, accompanied by more frequent coughing. 

 “Razor throat” is a term used in China to describe a severe sore throat, similar to swallowing shards of glass or a razor blade.

Dr. Li Tongzeng, director of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Beijing You’an Hospital, told Chinese media that the new wave of COVID-19 that began in March is expected to peak in late May.

Zhong said the dominant variant in this wave is the Omicron XDV variant, which is highly contagious but relatively less deadly. Early symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, burning throat, and severe coughing.

He believes the epidemic is still in the “ascent phase” and is expected to last for six to eight weeks and subside by the end of June.

Chinese netizens have described their painful experiences with the new variant on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform that is tightly controlled by the regime.

Some of the comments shared include:

“A few days ago at lunch, a coworker coughed so badly that I thought he choked on his food. He said it was the lingering effects of COVID this time. When I asked him what the main symptoms were, he said ‘razor throat.’”

Another comment read, “I got razor throat and felt really weak.”

“This post-COVID razor throat is really brutal—swollen, sore, and I can barely talk. Is there a quick fix?”

A Beijing resident who was infected for nearly 10 days told the Chinese-language edition of The Epoch Times: “I have a fever, sore throat, yellow phlegm mixed with blood, nosebleeds, coughing, sneezing, runny nose, dizziness, and no energy. It’s so scary—I sneeze once and my nose starts bleeding, so I’m scared. This wave of COVID is really bad.”

COVID-19 Data Missing

The Chinese regime has long faced accusations of covering up epidemic data, especially regarding death tolls.

While the hashtag “COVID-19 infections surge” trended on Weibo, mainland media outlets downplayed the outbreak. Experts noted key missing or uninformative data from authorities.

Dr. Jonathan Liu, a professor at the Canadian College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and director of the Kang Mei Clinic of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and skeptical of data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDC), said official data for March reported only seven COVID-19 deaths.

“With a normal epidemic rate, such a low number doesn’t make sense. Canada, with its sparse population and good sanitation, reported 1,915 COVID deaths from August last year to May this year—more than 200 per month. How could China, with its dense population, have only seven deaths per month?” Liu told The Epoch Times.

According to the CCDC, outpatient and emergency department cases increased from 7.5 percent to 16.2 percent, while severe respiratory infections hospitalized increased from 3.3 percent to 6.3 percent.

Xiaoxu Sean Lin, an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Feitian College in New York and a contributor to The Epoch Times, said the CCDC failed to report the most important data.

He told The Epoch Times that the CCDC data only reflects the increase in the positive rate of the novel coronavirus, but omits four important factors: the number of confirmed cases, the hospitalization rate, the severity of cases, and the death rate. These four data points are crucial to understanding the extent of the outbreak. He also said that the Chinese regime has been too secretive in the past.

COVID-19 Cases Surge in Asia

COVID-19 cases have also increased in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

On May 8, Hong Kong’s Center for Health Protection reported that over the past four weeks, key COVID monitoring indicators have reached their highest point in a year, with 31 adult deaths.

Singapore health authorities reported on May 13 that cases from April 27 to May 3 had jumped about 28 percent to more than 14,000, with a 30 percent increase in daily hospitalizations. 

Taiwan’s CDC reported that cases have been rising significantly since May, with a peak expected in June. 

Zhong said that from a pathogenic perspective, the COVID-19 virus may be reducing its virulence for survival, but it is too early to say whether it will become like the flu in the future. But one thing is for sure, he said: The COVID-19 virus will not go away. (asr)

This report was contributed by Luo Ya, Xiaohua Gu, and Grace Song