The new coronavirus variant KP.2, dubbed FLiRT, which has been linked to the rise in Covid-19 cases in the US, UK and South Korea, has been circulating in India since November 2023, data from genomic surveillance has revealed. So far, INSACOG, India’s genome sequencing consortium, has reported about 250 KP.2 sequences.
While the coronavirus has evolved again, this new variant is not causing widespread havoc, unlike previous iterations of the virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the public health agency in US, said it is monitoring a variant called KP.2 and sees no evidence that it causes more severe illness than other strains. The agency says laboratory tests have found that KP.2 is not causing an increase in infections or transmission.
The agency has identified a second emerging variant called the KP.1.1. But it is KP.2 that leads the pack. The two new variants belong to a group of coronavirus variants that scientists call “FLiRT.” They coined the acronym to describe a combination of mutations that are found in the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Descended from the predominant viral lineage known as JN.1 that has been circulating since December, KP.2 has become the dominant form of the coronavirus in the United States, accounting for 28% of all infections as of early May.
While acknowledging that the virus will continue to evolve, medical experts believe they are not particularly worried about KP.2.
Symptoms of FLiRT variant of Covid virus
The symptoms of FliRT or KP.2 variant of covid virus is similar to the ones found in previous versions of the virus, including fever, cough, chills, and muscle or body aches.
Treatment guidelines for this variant remain consistent with those of its predecessors, including the use of over-the-counter medications to relieve symptoms. For people at higher risk for severe illness, the CDC recommends treatments such as the antiviral drug Paxlovid.
Does FLiRT variant cause severe illness?
Those at high risk of serious complications from the coronavirus continue to be the elderly, people with weak immune systems and patients with underlying health conditions. These people may have more severe symptoms and complications and are at higher risk of hospitalisation or even death than the general population.
Senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security Amesh Adalja recommends that these patients take Paxlovid if they get sick.
“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.”
FLiRT variant of Covid virus: Should Malaysians be worried?
People in Malaysia should not get panicked or worried as the overall transmission rate remains low, suggesting that while these variants are transmissible, they do not contribute significantly to the spread of the virus.
This virus has become endemic just like many respiratory diseases, which means it is likely to persist but will not have the devastating impact the world has experienced before.
“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.”