USA is on alert after the rebound in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks. Specifically, the American Infectious Diseases Society (SEEI) estimated the increase in new sequenced cases at 25%. More specifically, they are on alert for a new variant of Covid 19 that is spreading rapidly in the North American country that comes from the lineage of Omicrn JN.1.
The mutations are considered one of the most infectious of the previous variants. Dubbed as FLiRT variantsinternational researchers are still learning how quickly they will spread, whether they will cause more or less severe diseases than we have seen before, and how well vaccines will resist them.
Inside to the family FLiRTone variant in particular has gained importance and it is KP.2, which represents around 25% of the new cases sequenced in USA during the two weeks ending April 27, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The health entity also explained that other variants of FLiRT, including KP.1.1, have not yet become as widespread in the United States..
“Despite the growth of KP.2 in the US, it is too early to say whether the FLiRT family will be responsible for a significant increase in cases,” explained Dr. Eric Topol, executive vice president of Scripps Research, who wrote about the FLiRT variants in a recent article.
Symptoms of the KP.2 variant
So far there is no evidence to support that the new variant can cause more serious illness than its predecessors. As the CDC reminds, the type and severity of symptoms depends on the person’s basic health and immune system, rather than the variant that caused the infection.
Therefore, generally speaking, symptoms of FLiRT variants are similar to those caused by JN.1, that is, sore throat, cough, fatigue, fever, muscle pain, loss of taste or smell, difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. As explained Pier Luigi Lopalco According to Repubblica, the symptoms “should not be more serious than those typical of seasonal flu.”
