FLiRT strains, which are a new family of COVID-19 isolates, have started to spread across Australia.
Although it only emerged for the first time in the US five months ago, one variant has already become dominant.
This shows that the subvariants are highly transmissible.
The FLiRT subfamily is composed of various COVID-19 strains.
They’re derived from the JN.1. subtype, which emerged in 2023 and triggered a spike in infections.
The strains that are part of this group include KP.2, JN.1.7, and KP.3.
In the US, the dominant variant of COVID-19 is KP.2. It was first detected in January and was placed under surveillance on May 3 by the WHO.
The strange name of the subfamily comes from the mutations found in the spike proteins of the virus.
Although the FLiRT strains are quite contagious, experts in the US noted that they have no significant differences when it comes to their symptoms and severity.
According to Dr. William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University, the FLiRT isolates are highly contagious.
He noted that the specimens collected from laboratories indicated that they were similar to the other subvariants.