FLiRT: Symptoms, Severity Of New Covid Variant
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13 May 2024
Coronavirus brought with it an unprecedented health crisis, one that led to lockdowns and rapid development of vaccines
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Though the health crisis has now been controlled, people are still advised to wear masks and follow other precautions
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This is because the virus continues to evolve in various forms - the latest being FLiRT that is spreading fast in the US and other countries
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This group of new Covid-19 variants belongs to the Omicron JN.1 lineage and has 2 mutations - KP.2 and KP 1.1
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According to Infectious Diseases Society Of America (IDSA), the name FLiRT is based on the technical names of their mutations
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Dr David Ho, a virologist at Columbia University, told the New York Times (NYT) why these variants are dangerous
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He said that slight difference in KP.2's spike proteins make it better at evading our immune defences
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The symptoms for the FLiRT variant remain more or less the same - sore throat, cough, fatigue, tiredness, headache, body pain and fever
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Unvaccinated individuals and those with compromised immunity are more vulnerable to these mutations
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In India, 91 cases of FLiRT variant have been detected in Maharashtra, as per IANS. But experts say there is nothing to worry
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