2 new COVID ‘FLiRT’ variants are on the rise: Watch out for these symptoms

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A new group of highly transmissible coronavirus (COVID-19) variants are taking hold in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The variant family, called “FLiRT,’' now contains the dominant strains of the virus in the country, the agency said. And according to reports, these variants are highly transmissible, with current vaccines and immunity from prior infection believed to only provide partial protection.

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is constantly changing and accumulating mutations in its genetic code over time, the CDC said. New variants of SARS-CoV-2 are expected to continue to emerge. Some variants will emerge and disappear, while others will emerge and continue to spread and may replace previous variants, according to the federal agency.

One of the variants in the FLiRT family, KP.2, accounts for about 25% of all current infections in the United States. Another FLiRT variant, KP.1.1, accounts for about 7.5%, behind only three JN strains, one of which, JN.1, was the predominant strain in the country before being overtaken by KP.2, according to the CDC.

The FLiRT variants – KP.2 and KP.1.1 – appear to be highly transmissible, TODAY reported, with current vaccines and immunity from prior infection believed to only provide partial protection, experts said.

Host vulnerability is another issue of concern, considering that only 22% of American adults have gotten the latest COVID vaccine, the CDC stated. And since many people may not have had the virus in a while, they’re ripe for reinfection, according to WebMD.

“We’ve got a population of people with waning immunity, which increases our susceptibility to a wave,” Thomas A. Russo, chief of infectious disease at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo, told WebMD.

At Staten Island University Hospital, there so far has been no significant rise in COVID-19 cases compared to other recent variants, said Dr. Norman Ng, an emergency medicine physician there.

“Preliminary data suggests that this variant may exhibit enhanced immune evasion characteristics, so we will monitor the situation closely and adhere to standard precautionary measures,’' he added.

Symptoms of newest variants:

— Sore throatCough

— Fatigue

— Congestion

— Runny nose

— Headache

— Muscle aches

— Fever or chills

— New loss of sense of taste or smell

— Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

— Nausea or vomiting

— Diarrhea