CDC Alert Notes Concerning New COVID Variants

USA Today reports:

A new set of COVID-19 variants, nicknamed FLiRT, has been detected in wastewater surveillance, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From April 14 through April 27, the variant, labeled KP.2, makes up about 25% of the cases in the United States, according to the CDC.

Megan L. Ranney, dean of the Yale School of Public Health, told WebMD that FLiRT has some concerning features, like changes in the spike protein, which play a role in helping SARS-CoV-2 colonize the body and make people sick.

According to the CDC, only 22.6% of adults reported having received an updated 2023-24 COVID-19 vaccine since September 2023. Data also shows that vaccination coverage increased by age and was highest among adults 75 and older.

Read the full article. As of May 1, hospitals are no longer required to report COVID-19 hospital admissions to the federal government.

More specifically, there is a notable mutation in some JN.1 descendant lineages called FLiRT, which is based on the abbreviation for the amino acids that are changed. https://t.co/P6L6dnyQnX

— T. Ryan Gregory (@TRyanGregory) May 7, 2024