United States: New strains of Covid 19 are now circulating across the globe, and several health bodies are now raising concerns about a new wave of disease possibly coming up this summer, four years and four months after the outbreak.
The FLiRT variants is based on the increase of the mutations in the genetic code, and a new combination of them in the case of the US and Europe as the virus changes from the past strains.
The new grouping succeeded the previously dominant JN in following the new trend. The branch of omicron is one of the most significant ones. On the basis of their development, several sub-variants of the virus have been identified. Compared to the first virus, there is actually little that points towards new strains being more lethal.
However, there is clear indication that has acquired this set of mutation on its own and on their own from a common ancestor, as noted John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Variant prevalence in the US
KP.2 has become the most prevalent strain in the United States, according to the CDC’s most recent data, accounting for 28 percent of total cases in a two-week period.
Cases of KP.1.1 and another related FLiRT variant have also been identified, comprising 7.1 percent of current infections, as reported by CNBC.
WHO issues updates on the virus
In its latest update, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that cases of these variants are being detected in limited numbers across various countries.
It noted that some countries are experiencing “slight increases in detections from very low levels.”
The UK Health Security Agency announced last week that it is closely monitoring data on these new variants both in the UK and internationally, evaluating their severity and the ongoing effectiveness of vaccines.
The update added, “There is no change to the wider public health advice at this time,” as CNBC reported.
Jennifer Horney, professor of epidemiology at the University of Delaware, said, “While our idea of what a wave of COVID-19 infections looks like has changed over the course of the pandemic, it is likely that these new strains will cause increases in the number of cases in the U.S. over the next few months.”
“Many will be mild, based on our existing immunity and not the changes to the circulating strain,” she added.