What is the new covid variant KP.3 and how does it spread?

Covid-19 continues to plague healthcare professionals around the world due to variants that typically emerge every 4-6 months. Among them, a new family called FLIRT began to spread a few weeks ago, within which the KP.3 and LB.1 variants are of particular concern.

According to expert Federico Gueli, collected in the Italian newspaper “Il Messaggero”, latest version of KP.3has already been spotted, mostly at airport security checkpoints that help photograph its presence.

“It originated in Cadiz, Andalusia, at the end of March and is the main driving force behind the current wave in Spain. Sample rate: “Italy appears to be the second country in the world with the prevalence of this rapid variant, approaching 20% ​​of the total number of available samples,” Güeli analyzes.

The rapid spread of this new variant is a major concern for experts, especially at a time when there are sporting events that bring together large crowds, such as the European Cup or the Paris Olympics.

New KP.3 has mutations that can transmit the virus high transmissibilitycapacity immune escape and avoid vaccinations.

In the United States, its growth has been rapid and has become “the predominant variant in the country,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Despite this, the World Health Organization has not yet commented or published a risk assessment on these two new variants.

In terms of symptoms, the new variant KP.3 manifests itself in the same way as other variants: fever, malaise, fatigue, headache, cough, sore throat, muscle and joint pain.