3 Things to Know About FLiRT, the New Coronavirus Strains – Yale Medicine

[Originally published: May 21, 2024; Updated: June 7, 2024.]

Note: Information in this article was accurate at the time of original publication. Because information about COVID-19 changes rapidly, we encourage you to visit the websites of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and your state and local government for the latest information.

The good news is that in the early spring of 2024, COVID-19 cases were down, with far fewer infections and hospitalizations than were seen in the previous winter. But SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID, is still mutating. In April, a group of new virus strains known as the FLiRT variants (based on the technical names of their two mutations) emerged.

The FLiRT strains are subvariants of Omicron, and they now account for more than 50% of COVID cases in the U.S. (up from less than 5% in March). One of them, KP.3, accounted for 25% of COVID infections in the United States by the end of the first week of June; KP.2 made up 22.5%, and KP.1.1 accounted for 7.5% of cases.

Some experts have suggested that the new variants could cause a summer surge in COVID cases. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also reports that COVID viral activity in wastewater (water containing waste from residential, commercial, and industrial processes) in the U.S. has been dropping since January and is currently minimal.

Viruses mutate all the time, so Im not surprised to see a new coronavirus variant taking over, says Yale Medicine infectious diseases specialist Scott Roberts, MD. If anything, he says the new mutations are confirmation that the SARS-CoV-2 virus remains a bit of a wild card, where its always difficult to predict what it will do next. And Im guessing it will continue to mutate.

Perhaps the biggest question, Dr. Roberts says, is whether the newly mutated virus will continue to evolve before the winter, when infections and hospitalizations usually rise, and whether the FLiRT strains will be included as a component of a fall COVID vaccine.

Below, Dr. Roberts answers three questions about the FLiRT variants.

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3 Things to Know About FLiRT, the New Coronavirus Strains - Yale Medicine