Health officials in Australia are warning the public about a new variant of COVID-19 that has emerged. Dubbed FLuQE, this new variation has a mutation that makes it more infectious.
The FLiRT family is made up of individuals who were infected with the original JN.1 variant.
Because of this, health officials are worried that the new FLuQE subversion might trigger a new wave of infections.
According to NSW Health, the first cases of the new variant were reported in March.
By May, the FLuQE variant had become the dominant strain in NSW.
As the COVID-19 wave continues to circulate, various respiratory illnesses such as influenza and whooping cough are expected to increase in frequency.
In Queensland and NSW, there has been a significant increase in the number of whooping cough cases, which is a potentially life-threatening illness that affects infants under 12 months old.
Across Australia, the number of influenza cases has also increased significantly.