The FLiRT new coronavirus variant is a new strain that is circulating in the United States, and currently accounts for more than one in four people infected in the United States.
Although the number of infected people and hospitalizations are decreasing nationwide, the virus that causes the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) continues to mutate, and it appears that new variants are being produced endlessly. It looks like.
KP.2 and KP.1.1, which have recently received attention, are part of a new family of subvariants called 'FLiRT' that were detected in wastewater samples earlier this spring and are currently causing an increase in the number of cases.
Experts say KP.2 and KP.1.1 may be more contagious and better able to evade prior immunity than previous variants, raising concerns about a possible summer wave. .
This variant also caused a lot of reactions and jokes on social media. Are we “cheating” with a dangerous new variant? Why is it called FLiRT in the first place?
What are FLiRT COVID-19 variants?
KP.2 and KP.1.1 are both types of the ohmicron subvariant JN.1.11.1, and are direct descendants of JN.1, which is the dominant strain for much of the winter season, TODAY.com previously reported. reported.
KP.2 and KP.1.1 are similar to JN.1, but they detected additional mutations that appear to give the new strains an advantage over other variants, said an infectious disease physician and public official. said Dr. Albert Ko, professor of hygiene and epidemiology. of Medicine at the Yale School of Public Health, previously told TODAY.com.
Last month, KP.2 quickly overtook JN.1, which caused a spike in coronavirus cases last winter, to become the most dominant strain in the United States. According to the latest data, KP.2 now accounts for more than 25% of infections. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We think these two mutations make KP.2 a better virus in terms of being able to evade some of the immunity that already exists in the population while still maintaining its ability to transmit.” said academic Dr. Andrew Pekosch. Johns Hopkins University previously told TODAY.com.
As KP.2 and KP.1.1 gained attention, scientists on social media came up with a catchy new nickname to use in place of letters and numbers: “FLiRT.”
This is different from other informal variant names (Pyrrha, Eris, Arcturus, Kraken) that seem to fall under Greek mythology or constellation themes.
The name “FLiRT” is First built in March X, formerly known as Twitter. T. Ryan GregoryPh.D., Professor of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Guelph, Ontario. Gregory regularly posts about the evolution of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and is behind the nicknames of many other popular variants. there is.
“I think clear and accessible communication is important to convey the fact that the virus is still prevalent and rapidly evolving,” Gregory told TODAY.com.
Why is it called the FLiRT variant?
Of course, this new species is not spread by winks, compliments, or other signals of romantic interest or attraction. They have nothing to do with flirting at all.
The name “FLiRT” is based on the technical name for mutations or specific amino acid changes in the variant's spike protein, Gregory noted. These two mutations are at positions 456 and 346, Pekosh said.
“Each amino acid has its own abbreviation. FLiRT is F456L + R346T, or phenylalanine (F) to leucine (L) at position 456 and arginine (R) to threonine (T) at position 346.” says Gregory.
According to the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the nickname “FLiRT” is a combination of “FL” and “RT.”
When a new variant emerges, it is described using a letter-number combination, such as KP.2, JN.1, or HV.1. The letters and numbers refer to the variant's “Pango lineage,” which resembles a family tree, with lineages descending from the parent lineage, according to the CDC.
Groups of closely related viruses are called lineages, and the direct descendants of each variant are called sublineages. For example, BA.2.75 is a substrain of BA.2. These strains are named according to the CDC using an alphabetic prefix such as BA or XBB followed by a numerical suffix (such as .1 or .1.1.5).
Think of KP.2 and KP.1.1 as extended branches from the JN.1 branch, which is a direct descendant of BA.2.86 or Pirola.
As viruses continue to mutate and change, these technical names can become long and difficult to remember and say. That's where nicknames come in handy.
In 2021, the World Health Organization introduced a simpler system for labeling key variants. New variants of interest and variants of concern are each named after a letter in the Greek alphabet. These include alpha, beta, delta, and micron lineages.
Omicron (B.1.1.529) began circulating in the fall of 2021. Since then, variants of the Omicron virus have mutated and given rise to new subvariants. All new coronavirus strains that emerge and become dominant after 2022 are descendants of Omicron.
“Officially, everything since the end of 2021 has been nicknamed Omicron, which now includes thousands of designated variants,” Gregory says. These include Ohmicron BA.2, BA.4, and XBB. Again, an ungainly combination of letters and numbers is used to distinguish important subvariants.
“A group of volunteer mutation trackers began using their own unofficial nicknames two years ago, first based on a mythical creature (Kraken in XBB.1.5) and then on an astronomical entity (Pyrrha). ,” Gregory says.
Variant trackers were debating a simple way to explain the most important mutations appearing in JN.1 descendants, Gregory said. “Things are evolving rapidly, so at this point it makes more sense to focus on mutations of interest rather than individual variants,” Gregory added.
Previously, in 2023, scientists devised the nickname “FLip” for a variant with another combination of mutations (L455F + F456L). Inspired by “FLip”, Gregory proposed “FLiRT” as the latest stock.
Nicknames like FLiRT help people understand the “soup of variations,” Gregory wrote in a tweet.
Despite their playful names, the new coronavirus variants are no joke. It is important to take precautions against COVID-19 and keep your vaccinations up to date to prevent serious illness and complications.
“Mitigation measures such as respirators, ventilation, air filtration, and avoidance of exposure are all mutant-resistant and effective against FLiRT,” Gregory said.
