Why a 10,000-Yen Treatment Couldn’t Heal My Razor-Like Sore Throat: A Medical Writer’s COVID-19 Variant Experience

The Nimbus Variant That Still Isn’t Under Control

The new COVID-19 variant “Nimbus” causes an intense sore throat, so severe that it’s referred to as a razor throat. The average number of infected patients per medical facility is 8.43, indicating persistently high infection rates, and the outbreak has yet to subside.

The author, a healthcare and medical writer, contracted COVID-19 for the first time in their life while returning home for a late summer vacation. They report on their experience with the “Nimbus” variant, including taking an expensive COVID-19 treatment costing around 15,000 yen out-of-pocket, the effects of the medication, the severe sore throat and other symptoms, and the number of days it took to fully recover.

Every time I drank water, the pain in my throat made tears stream down

Every time the news reports on Nimbus as causing a throat as if you swallowed a razor, many people probably wondered, “Is that really true?” From my experience of being infected with Nimbus, it’s by no means an exaggeration. In fact, the pain was far more intense than anything I had ever experienced in my life.

I first noticed something was wrong on the second day of my trip home. I had a mild headache in the morning and had planned to drink with my family that evening, but I didn’t feel up to it. I ate a meal and went to bed early.

The next morning, I woke up feeling lethargic with a headache. A bad premonition struck me, and when I checked my temperature, it was already 38.5°C (101.3°F). That day, fever was my only symptom, so I took an over-the-counter pain and fever reducer, Calonal, to get through it.

My family home is in the countryside, and the town’s only clinic was unfortunately closed. The nearest holiday/nighttime clinic in the city was some distance away. I thought, “It’s probably just a cold,” and continued taking Calonal the next day. However, my fever did not go down, and by nightfall, I started feeling pain in my throat.

I finally visited the clinic on the morning it reopened, and after being tested, I immediately learned I was positive. The doctor said, “Your throat pain is severe, so it’s likely the circulating COVID variant. Do you want to use the COVID treatment? It’s expensive.” Desperate to recover quickly, I agreed to the prescription.

The prescribed medication was the COVID treatment drug Zocova. Public coverage ended at the end of March last year, so I had to pay 30% out-of-pocket—about 15,000 yen—a hefty amount! Including the consultation fee, test fees, anti-inflammatory drugs for my throat, and other pain and fever medication, the total cost came to 17,750 yen. I had to cancel the meal with friends I had been looking forward to, and the money I had planned to spend on drinks went entirely to Zocova.

Zocova works by blocking the enzyme that the coronavirus needs to reproduce, suppressing the virus’s growth in the body. It cannot be given to pregnant women or women who may be pregnant. On the first day, I took three tablets at once, and from the second to fifth day, I took one tablet per dose.

By this point, my throat symptoms had already worsened. I tried eating fruits like peaches and watermelon, and soft foods like somen noodles, but every bite caused excruciating pain when the food touched my throat. I could barely eat half the amount I wanted. The pain was so severe that I felt as if the entire lining of my throat was raw and full of sores, forcing me to give up after just two or three bites.

I knew I had to stay hydrated, but even drinking water was difficult. Just thinking about the intense pain as it passed down my throat made me afraid to swallow. I would hold water in my mouth, puffing out my cheeks, letting time pass without drinking. When I finally forced myself to swallow, the pain was so intense that I flailed my legs, and despite being an adult, tears streamed down my face. Gradually, I was unable to take in enough fluids, and my urination decreased.

Fever Subsided, but the Throat Pain Was Too Severe to Sleep

The hardest part was that the pain in my throat made it almost impossible to get any proper sleep. Even while sleeping, saliva is naturally produced, and normally we swallow it unconsciously—but each time I swallowed, the pain in my throat would wake me. I would drift off only to be awakened again by the pain, unable to sleep deeply, and this cycle continued for three full days after my first clinic visit.

My symptoms included fever, headache, sore throat, and fatigue. In my case, I had almost no cough or runny nose. On the afternoon of the third day after taking Zocova, my temperature finally returned to normal and my headache eased, giving me a bit of relief. However, the troubling thing was that the pain in my throat did not improve at all. Even throat lozenges my family bought for me were impossible to consume, because swallowing saliva alone was already agonizing.

I spent five full days bedridden in my room. The day after my fever subsided, I returned to my home in Tokyo wearing a mask. I kept wondering: When will this throat pain finally go away? How many days until I can eat normally? Will I be able to work again?

While battling this relentless throat pain, my inability to eat properly drained my energy, and I began to feel mentally low. When my medication ran out, I visited a nearby ENT (ear, nose, and throat) clinic.

The ENT doctor told me, “With inflammation this severe, it’s natural that the pain persists even after taking Zocova,” and prescribed medications effective for throat symptoms, including steroids, antibiotics, and anti-inflammatory gargles.

Two days later, I felt that the pain in my throat had reduced to about 30% of its previous intensity, and I was able to eat almost normally again. After experiencing several days when daily life was nearly impossible, I truly appreciated being able to simply eat and sleep once more.

Full Recovery Took Two Weeks Total Medical Expenses: 22,090 Yen

It took a full week for the throat pain to completely disappear. During that time, I still experienced milder symptoms compared to the throat pain, such as light headaches, fatigue, and aches in my lower back and spine, which made me wonder anxiously, “Could this be a post-COVID symptom?” It took a full two weeks for me to feel completely healthy and symptom-free. During that period, I had to extend work deadlines and cancel all personal plans, requiring constant adjustments—which became my greatest source of stress.

Fortunately, since I was isolated at my family home, my elderly grandmother and mother did not get infected.

Due to my work, which involves reporting from hospitals and clinics and speaking with doctors, I had always been extra careful about infectious diseases. Yet this was my first COVID infection, arriving without warning. It took two weeks to fully recover, and the total medical expenses at two medical institutions and pharmacies came to 22,090 yen with the 30% co-pay.

While the COVID treatment drug Zocova helped me, this infection cost me both money and time during my summer vacation. Experiencing Nimbus firsthand taught me how essential it is to stay healthy and maintain a strong immune system for a fulfilling life.

Note: According to the National Institute of Health Crisis Management, the average number of infected patients per medical institution from September 8 (Monday) to September 14 (Sunday) was recorded.