Caught with one's pants down! Just after three years of the new crown epidemic, a new strain KP.2 has been born in the US sewer pipeline!
KP.2 spreads so quickly and has so far spread to many countries in the West, and was also monitored by WHO in May this year.
Some experts have warned that this strain may cause a new wave of epidemics, how terrible is this KP.2?
The source of this article comes from official media (Phoenix.com North America "KP.2 has become the mainstream new crown variant in the United States, will the large-scale movement on May Day accelerate the spread in China?") "The new strain of the new crown has been found in the sewers of the United States and has spread to many countries! WHO strikes urgently! Expert: More contagious, or trigger a new wave of epidemic", Observer Network "The new strain of the new crown spreads to many countries, found from the sewers of the United States, experts: It may trigger a new wave of epidemic", Jinyang.com "The new strain KP.2 spreads rapidly in the United States and Britain and other countries, or is more contagious", The Paper "The new strain of the new crown has suddenly attacked, and it has spread to many countries!" Expert: More contagious"), but in order to improve the readability of the article, there may be polishing of the details, please read sensibly, just for reference!
A new strain has swept the United States
KP.2 is a variant derived from the JN.1 Omicron variant, also known as the "FLiRT" variant, which was discovered in the US sewer system in March this year. In the months since, KP.2 has continued to make waves in Europe and the United States.
As a descendant of the world's main circulating strain, KP.2 is known for its specific mutation location in the spike protein, and the amazing speed of transmission is a "weapon" that distinguishes KP.2 from other strains of the same lineage. The rapid spread of this strain has made the United States miserable.
When KP.2 first emerged, it accounted for only 3% of the dominant circulating strains in the United States, compared to 6% in April. However, in May, the infection rate of KP.2 has increased exponentially. According to the CDC, it now accounts for more than a quarter of infections in the United States.
Although there are still many variants in the United States, KP.2 is more contagious than KP.1.1 in the FLiRT variant. Since the exact source cannot be identified, it is likely that KP.2 will take advantage of the mutagenicity of the virus to continue mutating, resulting in the creation of new variant strains.
According to the head of the CDC, based on data testing of KP.2 and KP.1.1, the symptoms of infection in both are roughly the same as those of JN.1. From the second day of infection, patients will have symptoms such as sore throat, nasal congestion, and fever, which mainly affect the upper respiratory tract of the human body.
Since it is very similar to Omicron, is it possible that people can avoid the risk of infection after vaccination? Robert Murphy, an American infectious disease expert, believes that the new variant KP.2 is more contagious than JN.1, while British professor Lawrence Young also pointed out:
"We are concerned that this KP.2 will cause a wave of infections in the summer, and early evidence suggests that KP.2 appears to be more contagious than previous substrains, but it is too early to tell whether it is dangerous."
KP.2 is essentially a mutant strain, which is very different in transmissibility from the parent and can promote the formation of new strains by adsorbing human cells. Due to the lack of clinical testing of KP.2, there is still no clear countermeasure on how to curb its further spread.
Spread super fast Don't panic
Not only the United States, but also Canada and the United Kingdom are also facing the situation of being dominated by KP.2, which can be called the "hardest hit area". As of April 28, cases of infection with the strain in Canada have accounted for 26.8% of all COVID-19 cases, Global News reported on May 9.
In the UK, KP.2 is even more dominant, with Cov Spectrum pointing out that it and KP.1.1 account for up to 40% of the total. Although the UK Health Security Agency has not made a statement, there are indications that KP.2 has become the dominant variant in the UK.
Dr. Isaac Bogoch, a Canadian infectious disease expert, said that KP.2 is more dominant in evading human immunity from mutations. As JN.1 continues to evolve, other emerging variants will emerge as well, triggering a new wave of COVID.
"KP.2 is a descendant lineage of JN.1, which is the dominant strain worldwide, with 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 continued spread of new strains such as KP.2 will also make the vaccine problem more difficult. The U.S. FDA committee needs to collect surveillance data before they can start developing a vaccine, which is why they delayed the vaccine update in the fall.
Although KP.2 is less efficient at infecting cells, only a quarter of adults in the U.S. have received the updated vaccine. The declining vaccination rate may also lead to further spread of KP.2.
At present, the World Health Organization has listed KP.2 as a variant under surveillance, and the evolution of this strain is closely monitored. According to the latest data released by the China Disease Control and Prevention, there was no inflow of this strain in mainland China at the end of April, and the main epidemic strain is still the JN.1 series.
The emergence of a new strain, KP.2, will inevitably cause the global pandemic to resurge, but we need not be overly concerned. As long as we actively cooperate with the national epidemic prevention policy and pay attention to personal protection, the virus will not have a negative impact on our lives.
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Resources
[1] Phoenix Network North America "KP.2 has become the mainstream new crown variant in the United States, will the large-scale flow of May Day accelerate the spread in China?" 》； https://na.ifeng.com/c/8ZAnMBqyUuu
[2] Every time the new strain of the new crown is suddenly attacked, it was found in the sewers of the United States and has spread to many countries! WHO strikes urgently! Expert: More contagious, or trigger a new wave of epidemics"; https://www.nbd.com.cn/articles/2024-05-11/3385403.html
[3] Observer.com, "The new strain of the new crown has spread to many countries, found in the sewers of the United States, experts: may trigger a new wave of epidemic"; https://www.guancha.cn/internation/2024_05_11_734503.shtml
[4] Jinyang.com, "The new strain KP.2 of the new crown spreads rapidly in the United States and the United Kingdom and other countries, or becomes more contagious"; https://news.ycwb.com/2024-05/12/content_52680017.htm
[5] The surging network "The new strain of the new crown has suddenly attacked, and it has spread to many countries! Expert: More Contagious" https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_27349118