FLiRT, a new variant of COVID-19 Spreads Across the United States, CDC Warns

FLiRT, a new mutation of Covid-19, has raised concerns, according to an alert issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as reported by United Press International yesterday.

According to the CDC, the variant was discovered in sewage samples, and case monitoring from April 14 to April 27 revealed that the FLiRT variant accounted for one-quarter of all new Covid-19 cases in the United States. As per the CDC, FLiRT has surpassed the JN.1 variety, which was the previous prevalent strain and accounted for 22% of all Covid-19 infections.

The dean of Yale University’s faculty of public health, Dr. Megan Ranney, told the news website WebMD that the FLiRT version displayed several concerning alterations.

Among these is the rise of the virus’s protein, which is what makes the human body vulnerable to attack.Just 22.6% of people reported receiving an updated Covid-19 vaccine since September 2023, according to the CDC. Additionally, data indicates that vaccination coverage rose with age, peaking in those 75 years of age and above.

Experts are also concerned about the introduction of FLiRT when there is a decline in the vaccination rate among Americans.

Individuals infected with the FLiRT variety may experience fever, chills, cough, sore throat, runny or congested nose, headache, muscle aches, dyspnea, exhaustion, new loss of taste or smell, fog in the brain, and gastrointestinal symptoms (e.g., upset stomach, vomiting, moderate diarrhea).

Source : USA TODAY, Kosmo