A 24-year-old woman presents with a 4-day history of worsening left-sided sore throat and odynophagia. She reports a “hot potato” voice and significant difficulty opening her mouth. She completed a course of oral amoxicillin for pharyngitis 1 week ago without improvement. She denies dyspnea but admits to drooling due to pain on swallowing. She has no known drug allergies. Her immunizations are up to date.

Temperature is 102.1^o F (38.9^o C), pulse is 110 bpm, respirations are 18/min, blood pressure is 118/76 mm Hg, and SpO₂ is 99% on room air. The patient is anxious and in acute distress.