FLiRT COVID-19: Maharashtra Reports 91 Cases of New Variant; Majority Seen in Pune, Thane | Weather.com – The Weather Channel

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Maharashtra has recorded 91 cases of the new FLiRT COVID-19 variants, which also accounts for more than a third of cases in the US. However, there is no cause for worry as of now, a top expert said on Sunday.

The new set of variants dubbed FLiRT, majorly includes KP.1.1, and KP.2 strains. These are named based on the technical names for their mutations, one of which includes the letters "F" and "L", and another of which includes the letters "R" and "T".

Genome sequencing of March and April showed that Maharashtra has 91 cases of KP.2 Pune (51), Thane (20), Amravati (7) Aurangabad (7), Solapur (2), Ahmednagar (1), Nashik (1), Latur (1), and Sangli (1).

"What we see now, is the result of genome sequencing of the last two months, that is March and April. So, there is no cause of concern immediately as out of the 91 cases, not a single death, hospitalisation, or severe disease has been reported," infectious disease expert Dr Ishwar Gilada, told IANS. "Even the test positivity rate is around 1%," he added.

Dr Rajesh Karyakarte, Maharashtras genome sequencing coordinator, said that KP.2 has become the predominant COVID-19 strain in the state. However, there hasnt been a corresponding increase in hospitalisations or severe cases, The Times of India reported.

FLiRT variants come from the lineage of the highly transmissible and immune system-evading Omicron. First identified globally in January, KP.2 is a descendant of Omicrons JN.1. According to the data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, KP.2 accounted for about one in four or 25% of new sequenced cases in the country in the last weeks of April.

Similar to previous variants, the symptoms typically include a sore throat, runny nose, congestion, tiredness, fever (with or without chills), headache, muscle pain, and sometimes loss of taste or smell.

"COVID has not gone away, but it is not creating any havoc. It is not creating any hospitalisation or deaths, and it is much milder than the flu. So, it should not be considered a separate disease. It should be considered like the flu and we can call it Covi-flu," said Dr Gilada, Consultant in Infectious Diseases Unison Medicare and Research Centre, Mumbai. However, he called for proper whole genome sequencing.

"Though the variant will become prominent in numbers, it is not causing a surge in demand for oxygen, beds, ICUs, or ventilators, and there are also no deaths. So, I think we should not be worried and concentrate on other emerging health problems," he said.

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The above article has been published from a wire agency with minimal modifications to the headline and text.

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FLiRT COVID-19: Maharashtra Reports 91 Cases of New Variant; Majority Seen in Pune, Thane | Weather.com - The Weather Channel