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New variants ‘FLiRT’ detected in 28% Covid-19 cases in US, says CDC
While concerns about a potential summer surge persist, experts suggest that the evolving variants may not necessarily lead to a significant increase in infections.
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A new set of COVID-19 variants nicknamed FLiRT have been detected in wastewater surveillance, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"The CDC is tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants KP.2 and KP.1.1, sometimes referred to as 'FLiRT,' and working to better understand their potential impact on public health," the agency said in an emailed statement.
During the Apr. 28 to May.11 period, the KP.2 variant accounted for 28 percent of detected Covid-19 cases in the United States, overtaking the JN.1 variant which comprised 16 percent of cases in the same two-week span. The JN.1 variant had spread globally during the 2023 winter.
KP.1.1, on the other hand, also made up for seven percent of the recent Covid-19 cases in the US.
"Currently, KP.2 is the dominant variant in the United States, but laboratory testing data indicate low levels of SARS-CoV-2 transmission overall at this time. That means that while KP.2 is proportionally the most predominant variant, it is not causing an increase in infections as transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is low," the CDC said.
A summer surge in Covid-19 cases has also been predicted by certain members of the scientific community. However, this may not certainly translate into a new Covid-19 'wave'.
"They are all descendants of the JN.1 variant that has been dominant in the U.S. for the past several months. Viruses like SARS-CoV-2 mutate frequently, and when they mutate to evade recognition by antibodies, this often weakens their ability to bind to the cells they want to infect. We then see mutations appear that improve that binding ability," Andy Pekosz, PhD, molecular microbiology and immunology at Johns Hopkins University, wrote in an article.
"That said, our definition of a wave has changed; while we still see case rates rise and fall throughout the year, we see much lower numbers of cases of hospitalizations or deaths than we saw in the first couple years of the pandemic," Pekosz added.
However, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that there were currently no indicators that suggested KP.2 would inflict more severe illness compared to other strains.
"When it comes to symptoms, we’re not seeing anything new or different with these variants. We continue to see more mild disease, but that’s likely not because the virus is milder, but because our immunity is so much stronger now. After years of vaccinations and infections, most of the population is better able to fight off an infection without as much concern for severe disease," Johns Hopkins said in a statement.
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