Another new strain of the new crown has struck many countries.
According to recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the main variant circulating in the U.S. today is the "FLiRT" family, led by KP.2: KP.2 accounts for 25%.
As early as April, medical expert Eric Topol warned that FLiRT, represented by KP.2, had a more obvious transmissibility advantage and could trigger a new wave of the pandemic.
It is worth noting that the new variant of the new coronavirus, KP.2, is spreading rapidly in Canada, the United Kingdom and other countries. In early May this year, the World Health Organization listed the KP.2 subvariant as a variant under surveillance. The World Health Organization said it would continue to closely monitor the evolution of the virus.
It was first found in sewers in the United States
Expert: More contagious
The latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that KP.2 now accounts for more than a quarter of infections in the United States. In the two weeks to May 11, KP.2 was estimated to account for 28.2% of U.S. cases, up from about 6% in mid-April and just 1% in mid-March.
It is reported that KP.2 is a descendant of the JN.1 variant, sometimes referred to as the "FLiRT" variant, named for its mutated location in the spike protein. Other FLiRT variants, including KP.1.1, are also prevalent in the United States, but are not as prevalent as KP.2. "FLiRT" was first discovered in the US sewer system, but the exact source is unknown.
This means that the coronavirus is still mutating. A CDC spokesperson warned that the virus is constantly changing through mutations, and sometimes these mutations can lead to new variants of the virus. Some changes and mutations make it easier for the virus to spread or make it resistant to treatments or vaccines. As the virus spreads, it may change and become more difficult to stop. The CDC says it is tracking these variants to better understand their potential impact on public health, including the symptoms they may cause or their ability to evade protection from current vaccines and treatments.
Currently, CDC is monitoring for infections caused by KP.2 and KP.1.1. Early data suggest that they produce similar symptoms to JN.1, typically occurring 2 to 14 days after infection, which mainly affect the upper respiratory tract and include sore throat, nasal congestion, runny nose, cough, fever, headache, and loss of taste and smell.
Dr. Robert Murphy, an infectious disease expert in the United States, said that while the symptoms and severity appear to be roughly the same as previous strains of the new coronavirus, the new variant appears to be more contagious. Murphy urged the public to stay up-to-date on COVID vaccinations, especially those at higher risk of serious complications from the virus. While most people have some immunity to COVID that they have been vaccinated or previously infected, Murphy notes that "with COVID-19, immunity wanes over time." ”
So far, this variant has not been shown to cause more severe disease, and vaccines are still effective.
Lawrence Young, a virologist and professor of molecular oncology at the University of Warwick in the UK, said, "We are concerned that this KP.2 will cause a wave of infections in the summer. Early evidence suggests that KP.2 appears to be more contagious than previous substrains, but it is too early to tell if it is more dangerous. We should monitor the spread of this sublineage, but given that there aren't many tests right now, it's difficult. ”
William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert and professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, said the new variants are not fundamentally different from past virus mutations. They are all subvariants of the plasmid and contain mutations in the spike protein that make them more infectious. "We are in the genomic era, and there are already several subvariants that are dominant. They are highly contagious, but they do not appear to produce more serious diseases. He said.
Schaffner also said that the spike protein mutation means that vaccines and previously acquired immunity may not fully protect a person as much as they did against earlier strains, but laboratory tests have shown that there is still substantial protection against severe disease. "We now see it as one of the major seasonal severe respiratory infections. It's local now, and we're all learning how to deal with it in a regular way. It's not going away. He added.
It has spread in many countries
There are no signs of transmission in the country
It is worth noting that the new variant of the new coronavirus, FLiRT, is spreading rapidly in Canada, the United Kingdom, and other countries.
On May 9, local time, according to Global News, KP.2 quickly became dominant in Canada, and as of April 28, national data showed that KP.2 accounted for 26.6% of all COVID-19 cases in Canada, surpassing other JN.1 subvariants.
Dr. Isaac Bogoch, a Canadian infectious disease expert, said the latest mutation suggests it may be better at evading people's immunity, which could indicate that a surge in COVID-19 cases is imminent.
At the same time, the FLiRT variant also seems to be gaining dominance in the UK. Data from the Cov Spectrum suggest that the combination of KP.2 and KP.1.1 accounts for 40% of cases in the UK. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has not yet commented on FLiRT, but the increase in cases in the UK may indicate that it is the new dominant variant.
In early May this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) listed the KP.2 subvariant as a variant under surveillance. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's technical lead for COVID-19, previously said, "KP.2 is a descendant lineage of JN.1, which is the dominant strain worldwide, and there are additional mutations in the KP.2 spike protein. There are other emerging variants, JN.1 is constantly evolving, and we will continue to see these variants spread. ”
The World Health Organization said it would continue to closely monitor the evolution of the virus.
However, as of now, there is no indication of the spread of this strain in China. According to the latest data released by the China Disease Control and Prevention, from April 1 to April 30, 2024, 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government) and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps reported a total of 11,299 local cases of the novel coronavirus genome valid sequence, all of which are Omicron variants. The main circulating strains were JN.1 series variants, and the top three strains were JN.1, JN.1.4 and JN.1.16, respectively.
The trend of local cases of novel coronavirus infection in China
Sources: National Business Daily, Finance Associated Press, Brokerage China, China Disease Control and Control, public information, etc