New FLiRT Covid Variant in US: 5 Points to Know 

May 10, 2024, 05:00 IST

Heena Sharma

1. Detection of FLiRT Variants

Data from the CDC revealed the emergence of a new set of COVID-19 variants - KP.2 and KP.1.1 - dubbed FLiRT, through wastewater surveillance.

2. Dominant Variant in US

Variant KP.2, from April 14 to April 27, constituted 25 per cent of cases in the US. Meanwhile, the KP.1.1 FLiRT variant constituted 22 per cent of Covid cases in the US in the two-week period.

3. Concerning Features of FLiRT

Experts reportedly warned about the concerning features of FLiRT variants, particularly changes in the spike protein.

4. Symptoms of FLiRT

Symptoms include that of JN.1, which are fever, cough, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, brain fog, loss of taste, among others.

5. CDC Monitoring

CDC is monitoring the situation and reports quoting the agency said that there are "no current indicators" that KP.2 is worse than other Covid strains.  

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