Another new variant of the coronavirus has struck
U.S. health authorities have recently issued warnings that a new variant of the novel coronavirus has emerged, known as FLiRT, is spreading rapidly across the United States.
According to data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on May 10, a new coronavirus variant named KP.2 has now replaced JN.1 as the dominant circulating strain in the United States. Experts say the new variant is more contagious.
▲ Source: Internet
It was first found in sewers in the United States
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.
The KP.2 variant was detected in U.S. sewers in March of this year, accounting for only 1% of new coronavirus infections, and has spread rapidly since then. In early May, the World Health Organization (WHO) listed the KP.2 subvariant as a variant under surveillance.
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. ”
The coronavirus has not yet dissipated
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.
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.
The World Health Organization said that as JN.1 continues to mutate, new variants will be derived, and the evolution of the virus will continue to be closely monitored.
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 don't seem 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.
There are no signs of transmission in the country
So far, 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, 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government) and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps reported 322 new severe cases and 14 deaths (including 0 deaths from respiratory failure caused by new coronavirus infection and 14 deaths from underlying diseases combined with new coronavirus infection).
▲The report of new severe cases and deaths of new coronavirus infection nationwide. Photo/CDC
From April 1 to April 30, 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 with valid genome sequences of the new coronavirus, all of which were 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 change trend of local cases of new coronavirus infection in China. Photo/CDC
Source: Xiaokang Toutiao's WeChat public account, comprehensive Red Star News, Finance Associated Press, China Disease Control and Prevention official website, and Yicai
Cover image: Kale Pictures Photography / Ning Ying
Editor-in-charge: Wang Fang
Review: Zhou Jingtao