New COVID-19 variant FLiRT is spreading in the US

The United States is witnessing an uptick in new COVID-19 variant instances, triggering concern over a possible summer time wave.

The household of variants, nicknamed “FLiRT”, after their mutations, embrace KP.2, which is now the dominant variant in the United States. In current weeks, KP.2 shortly overtook JN.1, the Omicron subvariant that drove a surge in COVID instances this previous winter, reported Today.

Quoting US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched information, the information channel reported that KP.2 accounts for one in 4 infections nationwide.

After KP2, the subsequent commonest COVID-19 variant presently making its presence felt is JN.1. It accounts for 22 p.c of the instances.

Another FLiRT variant, referred to as KP.1.1, is additionally circulating in the US, however is much less widespread than KP.2. It presently accounts for about 7.5 p.c of infections nationwide, Today reported quoting CDC.

The new variants have two extra mutations that set them aside from JN.1 and seem to provide them a bonus over earlier variants, Dr. Albert Ko, infectious illness doctor and professor of public well being, epidemiology and drugs at Yale School of Public Health, informed TODAY.com. It is part of the omicron household.

The emergence of KP.2 and different FLiRT variants is the “usual story”, Andrew Pekosz, Ph.D., virologist at Johns Hopkins University, informed TODAY.com.

“The timeline that it occurs in, three to 6 months, is a lot quicker than we see with different viruses like influenza,” says Pekosz.

Experts warned that the selection is transmissible.

“It’s nonetheless early days, however the preliminary impression is that this variant (KP.2) is fairly transmissible,” Dr. William Schaffner, professor of infectious ailments at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, informed TODAY.com.

KP.2 appears to be like similar to its parental pressure JN.1, says Pekosz, which is extremely contagious. “Except it has these two mutations. … I believe these two mutations collectively are making KP.2 a greater virus in that it maintains its means to transmit, but in addition now evades a few of the pre-existing immunity in the inhabitants,” mentioned Pekosz.

Albert Ko informed the information channel: “It’s nonetheless actually early in the emergence of KP.2, however I don’t suppose we have to sound the alarm bells as of but.”

Experts consider it is nonetheless very early to say whether or not the USA will see a summer time surge.

“We’re not seeing loads of hospitalizations, and we’re actually a lot decrease than we have been in the winter, so I’d say proper now we’re at a low level, which is reassuring,” Ko mentioned. “It looks as if transmission is fairly low proper now, and that is sensible as a result of normally the huge peaks are in the winter, when individuals are inside and in extra contact.”

Experts expressed hope that early laboratory research point out that the vaccines will proceed to supply safety in opposition to KP.2.