Understanding the New COVID-19 Variant FLiRT: What You Need to Know

Curious to know about FLiRT variants of COVID-19 circulating in the US? The whole world has somewhat understood that COVID-19 is not going to go anytime soon and that they have to find ways to live with it. People seem to be making peace with every problem the virus has caused, except one – the mutation of SARS-CoV-2.

FLiRT is the name given to a group of COVID sub-variants, including KP.2 and KP.1.1. As per the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the new COVID variant KP.2 accounts for 25% of new COVID-19 infections reported in the US. COVID variant KP.2 is said to have evolved out of the mutations in the JN.1 Covid variant. JN.1 is a subvariant of Omicron which was different in terms of symptoms and transmission rate when compared with the Delta variant.

The most burning questions the world is facing right now are how much protection the current vaccines offer, what makes these variants prop up, can vaccines fully protect us, and how we can protect ourselves.

We have tried to cover all the questions here to solve your dilemmas. Have a look:

The emergence of new variants

As per scientific research, a virus mutates or comes up with a new variant whenever there is any kind of change in the genetic code of the current virus strain.

Coronavirus isn’t doing anything new, as many viruses and pathogens tend to mutate on their own. However, there are some viruses like COVID-19, variants of which may be genetically distinct and cause very serious complications.

Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) viruses like SARS-CoV-2 are more prone to mutate than other viruses.

For instance, B.1.351 and B.1.1.7 variants were first found in the UK in September 2020. These were two of the initial strains of coronavirus, which are still the most predominant form of the deadly virus in several countries, including India.

With every mutation, the virus sees some particular genetic changes, which can potentially make the virus even more contagious and severe or vice versa. For instance, the KP.2 variant is thought to be fitter than the JN.1 variant. More studies are needed to understand the true nature of this virus. KP.2 variant is reportedly more contagious and may even be capable of escaping the vaccine-led immunity to some extent. Symptoms of illness are said to be similar to those caused by Omicron. The main reason for worry over the emergence of a particular strain of the virus is its ability to spread faster and the kind of attack it launches on the body of the infected. Notably, it is believed that virulent viruses are smarter than others as they have the ability to dodge some of the natural antibodies and cause severe damage to the high-risk group.

Interestingly, we must understand that not all the virus variants are as dangerous or cause severe damage as we have been discussing. The strains which are genetically traced or found to be variants of concern (VOCs) are believed to be more severe.

How effective are the vaccines against new COVID-19 variants?

A big reason for concern for people has been the efficacy of currently available COVID-19 vaccines against the newly emerging virus strains like FLiRT variants that may have immune escape properties. Well, this is not entirely true. The new variants of SARS-CoV-2 may be smarter and more severe than the previous ones, but the vaccines we are taking may not become completely futile. A few lab-based studies have proven that the immune response triggered due to vaccines consists of several components and even when they are reduced, the vaccine response is not supposed to die entirely.

Updated COVID Vaccines are a solution to the constantly evolving viral strains. The idea is to make new vaccines by using the newer strains of the virus so that we may keep up with the pace of the changing virulence of the virus. 

Should we be worried about the upcoming strains?

We surely are at a risk of facing future variants and mutations of the virus. Still, getting vaccinated and following the social distancing protocols set by the local authorities is the best we can do to protect ourselves.

Here are a few tips-

1. Follow hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette. 
2. Stay aware of the contagious infection circulation in your area and follow the necessary precautions.
3. People with weak immunity and chronic illness should be more careful. 
4. Take good care of the elderly, pregnant women and newborns. 
5. A nutritious diet, exercise, and a good sleep routine are important to maintain healthy immunity.
6. Regular health checkups from a doctor can help identify nutritional deficiencies, metabolic and other diseases early on. 

 Some studies have proven that a fully vaccinated person is at low risk of suffering from severe complications and dying from a COVID-19 infection. In some cases, the vaccinated person has recovered quicker than others. Moreover, to tackle the upcoming strains of the virus, some booster shots may be introduced in future.

Takeaway

Many scientists are suggesting, instead of fearing the upcoming strains of the COVID-19, we should prepare a plan of action to keep our loved ones and ourselves safe. Getting vaccinated is the best we can do right now to save the world. The new strains will keep coming, at least for the foreseeable future. Hence, we should not let our guard down against this war against the deadly virus.

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