Cases of the new variant of Corona FLiRT (KP.1 and KP.2) are being seen increasing in many countries of the world including India, America, and Singapore. According to the information shared by the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), the cases of infection with the new variant in India have crossed the figure of 325.

In the initial studies conducted on the new variant of Corona, it has been found to increase the infection by dodging the immunity built in the body. Health experts have appealed to all people to continue following COVID-19 Appropriate Behavior.

The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that in preliminary research, some mutations have been observed in the spike protein of the new variant, which may increase its infectiousness. Epidemiologists said, given the speed at which cases of this new variant are increasing, there is a possibility that it may soon overtake JN.1, the most spread Omicron variant. Singapore is a recent example of this, where a jump of up to 90 percent in infection cases has been reported in just two weeks.

So is the new variant Filhart very contagious? Are people facing serious health problems due to this?

Infectivity of FLiRT variants
KP.1 and KP.2 are named FLiRT based on the technical names of their mutations, explains Dr. Scott Roberts, an infectious diseases expert at Yale Medicine. This is a sub-variant of Omicron, which has been the main variant being reported worldwide for the last few years. The Omicron variant is considered to be highly infectious and has also been shown to easily dodge the immune system.

According to a report by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the mutations observed in the spike protein of Filaret are believed to increase its infectiousness, but there is little possibility of it causing serious diseases.

Risk of serious diseases due to new variants?
Singapore is one of the countries most affected by this new variant. According to local media reports, the KP.2 variant is the main cause of most of the people recently found infected here.

Doctors say that most of the people are experiencing only mild symptoms and they are recovering easily. People with comorbidities may be at risk for severe symptoms in the event of infection, although those infected are less likely to require hospitalization or ICU.

Know about the symptoms of the new variant
Dr. Tammy Lundstrom, senior vice president and researcher at Trinity Health, said in a report that the symptoms of the new variant are also similar to earlier variants of Covid. In most of the infected people, problems like fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing, fatigue, muscle or body pain, headache, and loss of taste or smell are seen. Most of the infected are seen without symptoms.

Most of the people have been vaccinated, hence the risk of serious diseases due to coronavirus infection is seen to be less.

(PC: ISTOCK)