Corona cases had remained stable globally for the last few months, however, now a surge is being seen once again. According to a recent report by the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a new set of new variants of corona have been seen in wastewater recently, which has been named FLiRT. Cases of this new variant are increasing rapidly in many countries including the United States and Singapore. The situation is that due to the rapidly increasing infection, the Singapore Health Ministry has once again appealed to all people to wear masks.
The KP.2 sub-variant caused about 25% of cases in the US from April 14 to 27, according to the CDC. Globally, JN.1 of Corona and its sub-variants, which include KP.1 and KP.2, are seen to be on the rise. More than two-thirds of cases in Singapore currently are KP.1 and KP.2.
Researchers said that this variant of Corona is like Omicron, which can infect people rapidly. Apart from this, this variant is also succeeding in dodging the body's immunity created by vaccination.
Information about the new variant - Corona's new variant 'FLiRT' surfaced,
Alert regarding new variant FLiRT
According to CDC data, two strains of the FLiRT variant (KP.1.1 and KP.2) are currently increasing rapidly. In two weeks, a rapid increase in the cases of infection due to this variant is being recorded.
Megan L., Dean of the Yale School of Public Health in America. Rainie said in a report that some worrying features have been observed in Filart. There are changes in its spike protein that enable it to easily enter the human body and cause infection.
Advice to wear mask again amid increasing infection
According to media reports, a new wave of Covid-19 is being seen in Singapore. According to the Health Department, more than 25,900 cases have been registered here from May 5 to 11. Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on Saturday once again appealed to the public to wear masks.
Kung said, we are in the initial phase of this new wave, and cases of infection are continuously increasing. It is expected to increase further in the next two to four weeks. Given this danger, all people should once again make a habit of wearing masks so that the spread of infection can be controlled. Everyone needs to continue taking special precautions regarding this new wave of infection till the end of June.
Cases of new variants have also been reported in India
According to media reports, cases of a new variant of Corona, Filarte, have been reported in India also. So far 250 cases have been registered in India. KP.2 and KP1.1 are believed to be responsible for the majority of cases.
91 cases of Omicron sub-variant KP.2 have been identified in Maharashtra, indicating a surge in corona cases in the state. According to data till May 15, Pune has the highest number of 51 people found infected with this new variant, with Thane at second place with 20 cases. Seven cases each were reported in Amravati and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar districts.
What is the reason for the increase in infection?
According to CDC health experts, only 22.6% of adults have received a COVID-19 vaccine since September 2023. The data also shows that vaccination coverage has increased by age, with people aged 75 and older getting more vaccinations during this period.
"So we have a higher population of young people with weakened immune systems, which increases our susceptibility to a wave," said Thomas A. Russo, chief of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo. The effectiveness of vaccines decreases over time, it has been a long time since most people had their last vaccine, which is leading to a surge in cases of infection once again.
(PC: PTI)
