Health expert Dr Tamorish Kole cautions public about surge of new Covid variant FLiRT. (ETV Bharat) New Delhi:A recent surge of a new Covid19 variant “FLiRT” has worried the healthcare experts in India following the fact that this variant exhibits the ability to evade immunity conferred by vaccines and prior infections.
“FLiRT, an acronym for variants emerging from the Omicron lineage, comprises two major variants including KP.2 and KP.1.1. These variants exhibit the ability to evade immunity conferred by vaccines and prior infections. In the United States, KP.2 has swiftly risen to prominence, surpassing the previous Omicron subvariant, JN.1. Currently, KP.2 accounts for over 25 percent of infections in the US,” said renowned health expert and past president of Asian Society for Emergency Medicine Dr Tamorish Kole to ETV Bharat.
Factors such as waning immunity and suboptimal uptake of the latest COVID-19 vaccine have contributed to an increased susceptibility in the population, he said.
FIiRT Scenario in India:The surge in cases witnessed in March, averaging around 250 detections, is attributed to the rapid spread of the KP.2 variant across Maharashtra. “India has reported 250 cases of the FLiRT variant so far and is in circulation since November 2023, as per our genomic surveillance data. Most of these cases are attributed to the sub-variants KP.2 and KP.1.1. These variants are descendants of the Omicron variant JN.1, which spread globally last winter,” said Dr Kole.
India has consistently reported the highest proportion of KP.2 sequences worldwide which is almost one-third of the global database in the past 2 months, he said.
Symptoms:FLiRT variants exhibit symptoms similar to earlier variants, including fever, cough, fatigue, and digestive issues. FLiRT variants are considered more infectious than earlier Omicron variants. While no indicators are suggesting that KP.2 causes more severe illness than other strains, it demands stringent precautions.
Measures to avoid infection:According to Dr Kole it is necessary to stay informed and up-to-date about COVID-19 vaccinations, including booster doses, to minimize the likelihood of severe illness.
“When in indoor public settings, particularly in regions with high transmission rates, opt for well-fitting masks. Additionally, consider measures to improve indoor ventilation and filtration to reduce the concentration of viral particles,” he said.
When contacted a senior health ministry official said that INSACOG is continuing the surveillance of the emerging variants. “As of now, FLiRT is a variant of interest (VoI) in India. The government is aware of the development that is happening involving the emerging variants of Covid19,” the official said.
INSACOG:The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), a consortium of 67 Laboratories is a Pan-India network to monitor genomic variations in the SARS-CoV-2 by a sentinel sequencing effort. It reports genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 by whole genome sequencing of samples from sentinel sites across the country and international passengers arriving in India.
The network carries out whole genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 virus across the nation, aiding the understanding of how the virus spreads and evolves, and provides information to aid public health response.
It is jointly initiated by the Union Health Ministry of Health, and Department of Biotechnology (DBT) with Council for Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
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