14 May 2024 • A new Covid variant, FLiRT, is taking on the US, with its subvariant KP.2 making up for about 25% of the cases in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Maharashtra has so far recorded 91 cases of the KP.2 variant of Omicron, including 51 in Pune, the health department said on Monday.

FLiRT is a group of mutants, including KP1.1 and KP.2, named based on the letters derived from their mutations. FLiRT variants are direct descendants of JN.1.

As per Dr Rajesh Karyakarte, the state's genome sequencing coordinator the slight surge in cases witnessed by the state in March, with an average of around 250 detections, is likely due to the spread of the KP.2 variant, which evolved from JN.1, the dominant Covid strain at the end of 2023.

While there's no evidence suggesting KP.2 causes more severe illness, high-risk groups, like the elderly and immunocompromised, remain vulnerable, cautions a CDC spokesperson.

Source: Times of India | Read full story