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Covid-19: New 'FLiRT' Variants Now Most Dominant In US

New so-called "FLiRT" COVID-19 variants have quickly become the most dominant in the United States, and authorities are monitoring their rise as summer approaches.

COVID-19

COVID-19

Photo Credit: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one of the two members of the  “FLiRT” group, KP.2, is now No. 1 among strains nationally, accounting for about 24.9 of all current infections.

The JN.1 strain had been dominant in the US before the emergence of KP.2. Both variants are offshoots of the highly contagious Omicron strain.

The No. 4 variant in the US, KP.1.1, which makes up 7.5 percent of cases nationwide, is also in the "FLiRT" family and closely related to KP.2.

“It’s still early days, but the initial impression is that this variant (KP.2) is rather transmissible,” Dr. William Schaffner, professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told TODAY.com.

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