Health
Why experts fear new ‘FLiRT variants’ could cause a summer wave of COVID-19
Topline
New variants of the coronavirus, called ‘FLiRT’, are circulating around the world and becoming dominant in the US, and while cases and deaths are declining, some experts worry these variants could cause a summer surge as more Americans gather for the summer holidays , as there is evidence that the variants may be highly transmissible.
A healthcare worker completes a coronavirus swab test after testing a patient.
Key facts
The FLiRT variants are new variants of COVID-19 that start with KP or JN, and are named after the same set of mutations that they each picked up independently. according to at Johns Hopkins University.
The new variants are descendants of the JN.1 variant, an offshoot of omicron and created in most cases in the US in December and earlier this year.
FLiRT variants have two additional mutations on their spike proteins than JN.1, so some experts believe these mutations could make it easier for the variants to evade people’s immunity. according to at Yale Medicine – based on current data suggests the tensions are no more serious than the previous ones.
A FLiRT variant called KP.2 is the dominant variant in the US, accounting for 28.2% of cases in the two-week period ending May 11, and KP.1.1 – another FLiRT variant – accounted for more than 7 % of cases. cases, thus facts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Because of their potential to evade immunity, experts say Worried these variants could cause a spike in cases as people gather for several summer vacations, although cases and deaths in the U.S. fallen by 0.1% and 14.3% respectively, even though hospital admissions have increased by more than 9% since March.
Some experts think KP.2 and KP.1.1 could be more transferable than previous strains: early data indicate that KP.2 could be ‘quite transmissible’ as the two new mutations help ‘increase the ability to transmit, but now also evade some of the pre-existing immunity in the population’, says Dr. Andrew. Pekosz, a virologist at Johns Hopkins University, told NBC.
What are flirt variant symptoms?
There is no evidence that the symptoms of the FLiRT variants are different or worse than those of previous types. The most common Covid symptoms include breathing problems such as coughing, runny nose, congestion and sore throat, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, body aches, fatigue, headache, and loss of taste or smell.
Do vaccines protect against flirting?
Because the FliRT variants are descendants of omicron, experts to believe the most modern monovalent vaccines against COVID-19 – which target omicron strains – should provide some protection against these variants. The Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccine Advisory Committee postponed its meeting to discuss new recommendations for the COVID-19 vaccines until June 5. The meeting was postponed to “provide additional time to obtain surveillance data and other information” so that the committee “will have more up-to-date information when discussing and making recommendations,” the announcement said. The World Health Organization announced in April, the vaccine committee is encouraging countries to create new monovalent vaccines targeting the JN.1 lineage, so it’s possible new vaccines in the US will provide more protection against the FLiRT variants ahead of an expected wave of respiratory diseases this year autumn and winter.
Large number
135,330. That’s the number of cases of COVID-19 worldwide reported to WHO in the 28 days ending May 5. There were 29,500 cases reported to WHO during the week beginning May 5, down from the 44.5 million cases reported during the December 2022 peak, although several countries – including the US – have not updated figures reported to WHO.
Important background
FLiRT variants have been reported in several countries, including the UK and Israel. Last week, WHO said KP.2 and KP.3 – another FLiRT variant – accounted for 9.6% and 20% of cases worldwide. The agency classifies these two variants as “variants under monitoring,” meaning they could show early signs of growth compared to other variants, or genetic changes that could potentially affect virus characteristics. According to the WHO, between March and April, global cases fell by 48%, hospitalizations fell by 35% and deaths fell by 44%. The UK Health Security Agency said last week it will continue to monitor the new variants, but “there is no change to the wider public health advice at this time.”
Read further
FDA Clears Novavax’s New Covid Vaccine, Designed to Protect Against Latest Strain (Forbes)
