Written By: Satata Karmakar | Updated : May 10, 2024 11:19 AM IST
New Covid Variant ‘FLiRT’ Capable of Evading The Immune System, Infect Fully Vaccinated Individual: Experts
The deadly COVID-19 virus has mutated again, leading to the formation of two new lethal strains - KP.2 and KP1.1, dubbed 'FLiRT' variants. This new group of coronavirus strains are the descendants of the Omicron JN.1 variant which was dominant globally in the year 2023. According to the reports by the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA), FLiRT cases have soared in the US, UK, South Korea and New Zealand, renewing fears of a fresh COVID-19 wave. Taking cognizance of the situation, the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) has detected 238 cases of KP.2 and 30 cases of KP1.1 circulating in India, as of May 6.
At a time when the transmissibility rate of this new variant of COVID-19 is at its peak, experts have revealed that FLiRT is capable of evading the immune system, which means a fully vaccinated person can also catch the infection and develop symptoms. "The new Covid-19 variant 'FLiRT', which is spreading fast in the US, is capable of evading the immune system due to a trans substitution of amino acids between two spike proteins," said Rajeev Gupta, Director of Internal Medicine at the CK Birla Hospital (R), Delhi.
The "FLiRT" variant has other symptoms similar to those from JN.1, which include:
In a statement issued regarding the signs that one can show up after caching this new variant, the CDC noted that the list does not include all possible symptoms and that symptoms may change with new variants and can vary by person.
According to the Infectious Diseases Society Of America (IDSA), the proportion of illnesses caused by KP.2 is rapidly increasing. The other FLiRT variant, KP 1.1 is also circulating in the US. Talking about the high transmissibility rate of this new variant, experts said, "The variant spreads easily through respiratory droplets, posing risks to all, especially the unvaccinated and those with compromised immunity. With subtle genetic differences, FLiRT diverges from earlier variants, requiring tailored management techniques".
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