More On The FLiRT Variant of COVID

As usual, this latest COVID wave is being downplayed, but I would rather trust my own instincts and keep masking up. I've been hearing a lot of coughing lately -- and even had a man cough in my face in the supermarket checkout yesterday.  Of course he was not wearing a mask -- but thankfully, I was.

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What to know about the new covid ‘FLiRT’ variants

By Sabrina Malhi at The Washington Post

The coronavirus has once again evolved. But this latest version does not appear to be sparking widespread illness.

The coronavirus has once again evolved, in a familiar echo of past years. Unlike earlier iterations of the virus, this new variant is not sparking widespread havoc.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is monitoring a variant called KP.2 and does not see evidence it causes more severe illness than other strains. Laboratory tests have shown that KP.2 is not causing a surge in infections or transmission, the agency said.

The CDC has identified a second emergent variant, KP.1.1. But it is KP.2 that is leading the pack. Both new variants belong to a group of coronavirus variants dubbed “FLiRT” by scientists. The acronym was coined to describe a combination of mutations found in the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

KP.2 is a descendant of the predominant viral lineage circulating since December, called JN.1, and has become the dominant form of the coronavirus in the United States, accounting for 28 percent of all infections as of early May.

What are the symptoms?

KP.2 has symptoms similar to earlier versions of the virus, including fever, chills, cough and muscle or body aches.

Treatment guidelines for this variant remain consistent with its forerunners, including use of over-the-counter medications to alleviate symptoms. For people at higher risk of severe illness, the CDC recommends therapeutics such as the antiviral medication Paxlovid.

Does this variant cause severe illness?

People at high risk for severe complications from the coronavirus remain older adults, patients with underlying health conditions and those with weakened immune systems. These people may experience more severe symptoms and complications, and have a higher risk of hospitalization or death compared with the general population.

“The key thing to remember is that if you are a high-risk person, these types of variants pose an infection risk,” Adalja said. “And if you have risk factors for severe disease, it’s important for you to be up to date on vaccines and to have plans to procure Paxlovid if you become sick. But that’s the same for every variant.”

Do current vaccines work for this variant?

Yes, but health experts predict that the new formulation of the coronavirus vaccine expected for the fall could offer even stronger protection because it will probably be tailored to thwart the new variant.

“I still suspect that our immunity, whether from natural infection or vaccine, is still going to hold up well against this and protect us from severe disease, but maybe it’ll be just a little bit less efficacious than it would have been against some of these more recent variants … [but] I’m not too concerned,” said Scott Roberts, an infectious-disease physician at Yale School of Medicine. “We know covid’s going to evolve over time, and this is sort of the next iteration of it.”

The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older receive the latest coronavirus vaccine formulation to minimize risk of severe disease.

Is covid coming back?

Overall transmission levels remain low, suggesting that while these variants are transmissible, they are not significantly driving spread of the virus. Like many respiratory illnesses, this virus has become endemic, meaning it is probably here to stay but will not have the devastating impact previously seen.

“Covid has never gone away, and it will never go away,” Adalja said. “What it has lost is its ability to crush a hospital with the number of patients admitted.”