New Covid | A new Covid variant, dubbed FLiRT, is causing alarm among US health authorities.
A new Covid variant, called FLiRT, has alerted US health authorities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed that it already accounts for 25% of cases in the US. This makes it the new dominant variant in the country, surpassing JN.1, which spread around the world last winter.
According to USA Today, FLiRT has some worrisome features, such as changes in the spike protein, that help SARS-CoV-2 colonize the body and make people sick.
The situation is even more alarming because only 22% of the United States population received the updated vaccine last year.
North American health authorities say Covid-19 continues to pose a significant public health threat, despite an overall decline in the number of serious cases. Covid hospitalization rates remain highest among people over 65. Experts in the US recommend that everyone over 65 get an extra dose of the updated vaccine.
Symptoms of FLIRT
The FLiRT variant has symptoms similar to the well-known JN.1. Here are the main ones:
– Fever or chills.
– Stuffy or runny nose.
-Headache.
-Muscle pain.
-Labored breathing.
-Cough.
-Sore throat.
-Fatigue.
-Loss of taste or smell.
– Brain fog (feeling less awake and aware than usual).
-Gastrointestinal symptoms (stomach upset, mild diarrhea, vomiting)-
In particular, the British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca announced this Wednesday that it is withdrawing its Covid-19 vaccine Vaxzevria, one of the first to hit the market during the pandemic, from sale due to falling demand.