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The new coronavirus variant called KP.2 nicknamed FLiRT that has been linked to rising cases of Covid-19 in the United States, United Kingdom, and South Korea, has been in circulation in India since November 2023, genomic surveillance data show. About 250 KP.2 sequences have been reported so far by INSACOG, the countrys genome sequencing consortium.
KP.2 is a descendant of the JN.1 variant of the virus. It is a sub-variant of the Omicron lineage with new mutations. FLiRT, the nickname of KP.2, is based on the letters representing two immune escape mutations that allow the virus to evade antibodies.
Genomic scientist Dr Vinod Scaria said: These two mutations on the spike protein disrupt the major sites on the spike protein where antibodies bind and neutralise the SARS-CoV-2 virus. These mutations allow the virus to escape antibodies.
A little more than half of the 250 KP.2 genomes sequenced by INSACOG 128 sequences were from Maharashtra. The highest number of KP.2 sequences were found in March.
India has been reporting the highest proportion of KP.2 sequences in the world, global data show. KP.2 sequences made up 29% of Covid-19 sequences uploaded by India to the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID), the worlds largest repository of these sequences, over the last 60 days.
However, JN.1 continues to be the dominant variant of SARS-CoV-2 in the country. There were 679 active cases of Covid-19 in India on May 14, according to Union Health Ministry data, and one death in Delhi was attributed to the disease.
FLiRT is characterised by its ability to evade immunity from vaccines and previous infections. Its symptoms are similar to those of earlier variants, including fever, cough, fatigue, and digestive issues.
Experts are watching the variant closely, but they are not very concerned at the moment. There is no need to worry, Dr Anurag Agarwal, dean of the Trivedi School of Biosciences at Ashoka University, said. These [immune escape] mutations [like the ones on FLiRT] have been seen before.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that there are currently no indicators suggesting that KP.2 would cause more severe illness than other strains.
Yes, FLiRT has a heightened transmission rate and, like its parent JN.1, it is likely to drive a wave of infections, Dr Scaria said. Also, the infections are likely to spread silently because without severe symptoms, most people are unlikely to get themselves tested.
Dr Rajesh Chawla, senior consultant, pulmonology and critical care at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in Delhi, said given the likelihood of easy spread of the virus through respiratory droplets, there is need to take stringent precautions, especially for those with a compromised immune system.
Senior citizens are vulnerable to severe illness due to factors such as age-related physiological changes, decreased immune function, and the presence of comorbidities. Research indicates that adults aged 60 and older, especially those with pre-existing medical conditions like heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, or cancer, are more likely to experience severe and potentially fatal Covid-19 infections compared to other age groups.
People who are 65 and older, or immunocompromised, and pregnant women are the most vulnerable.
This variant, like many of its Omicron predecessors, mainly affects the upper respiratory tract. There is no documented difference in presentations, Dr Scaria said.
Dr Chawla said that those affected report fever or chills, cough, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, headache, muscle aches, difficulty in breathing, fatigue, loss of taste or smell, brain fog, feeling less wakeful and aware, and gastro-intestinal symptoms including upset stomach, mild diarrhoea, and vomiting.
Hospitalisation rates for patients with these symptoms were not higher than usual, Dr Chawla said.
How can infection be prevented?
Preventive measures are the same as the ones that have been advised since the beginning of the Covid outbreak four years ago. Social distancing and the use of well-fitting respirators like N95s or KN95s in indoor public settings protect against all variants of the Covid-19 virus.
Increased air flow and filtration in indoor spaces also help reduce the concentration of virus particles. Vulnerable groups and those living in areas where the infection is in circulation should be especially careful.
Most Covid-19 vaccines available in India are aimed at the original variant of the virus, so additional shots are unlikely to help.
In late April, the WHOs Covid vaccine advisory group advised the use of JN.1 lineage as the antigen for upcoming vaccine formulations, as the FLiRT variants are within the JN.1 family. However the Indian vaccines are not updated with the JN.1 variant, and therefore booster doses in India are unlikely to be effective, Dr Scaria said.
Dr Agarwal said that most Indians do not need a booster because they have probably already had repeated infections, including silent infections with JN.1.
The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the governments management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme. Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also takes a keen interest in the countrys space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia Universitys Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelors Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times. When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read More
First uploaded on: 14-05-2024 at 19:39 IST
The doctor who led Toronto through the COVID-19 pandemic as the citys top public health official is stepping down.
Dr. Eileen de Villa announced her resignation in a video message posted to social media on Tuesday.
Sporting one of her signature scarves, de Villa said that it has been her distinct honour and privilege to serve as Torontos Medical Officer of Health and lead Canadas largest local public health unit since first being appointed to the role in 2017.
To you, the people of Toronto, I am incredibly grateful, deeply, deeply grateful for the privilege of having served as your medical officer of health for these last several years, said de Villa, who will be concluding her duties on Dec. 31.
And I am incredibly grateful as well, for the positive impact we've had on the health of this city. It has truly been the honor and the privilege of a lifetime to work alongside my remarkable colleagues here at Toronto Public Health and with other community providers, whether it's within city divisions, or other leaders and health providers throughout the city. And as well members of communities throughout the entire city of Toronto. I cannot thank you enough for all your support over these years. And for everything that we have done together.
De Villa, who is 55, called the last eight years a remarkable time.
Together with the team at Toronto Public Health, we've navigated significant challenges, she said, noting that throughout it all TPHs unwavering focus has been on protecting the health and well being of Torontonians.
Everything from the COVID 19 pandemic, to changes in public health funding to the drug toxicity epidemic and the mental health crisis that is currently in our midst.
De Villa went on to note that her decision to step down was not taken lightly and comes after several months of heartfelt discussions with her family.
She said that shes ready to embark on the next chapter of her professional life and to spend more time with my family.
De Villa, who is an Adjunct Professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, has a husband and three children.
Torontos top doc also said that she feels that the city is in a good position to transition to a new medical officer of health to lead Toronto Public Health, as we are stabilizing as an organization after the COVID 19 pandemic.
Nonetheless, she did acknowledge that Toronto continues to face a number of public health challenges, particularly emerging from the events of the last few years and said she and her team will have much work to accomplish over the next six months.
And I want to assure you that in the time that's left, I will continue to press on and make sure that together with the organization, we will continue to do our very best to meet the health needs of Torontonians, she said.
De Villa said that shes expects TPH will provide details about its next steps for selecting a new medical officer of health in the near future.
Toronto Public Health has an incredible and strong team in place. And I'm confident that they will continue to lead in public health excellence, she said.
I wish you all the very, very best. And I know that my colleagues here at Toronto Public Health will continue to do their utmost as they always do to safeguard, protect and promote the health of this great city.
In a statement, Coun. Chris Moise said that he received de Villas letter of resignation with mixed emotions.
As Chair of the Board of Health, I have had the privilege of working closely with Dr. de Villa, and I am deeply grateful for her unwavering support, guidance, and willingness to collaborate. While her departure saddens me, I am excited for the opportunities that await her, and I am confident she will leave Toronto Public Health well-positioned for continued success, wrote Moise, who called de Villas contributions to the City of Toronto immeasurable and said that over the last eight years she has navigated us through unprecedented challenges, most notably the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was an incredibly difficult experience for everyone, especially Toronto Public Health staff, but Dr. De Villa consistently delivered critical updates with a reassuring voice that said it is going to be okay, even when the path ahead seemed uncertain, the Toronto Centre rep said.
Although Dr. de Villa announced her retirement today, she will continue shepherding us through this transitional period until the year's end, ensuring a smooth transition.
Moise said that by the end of de Villas tenure TPHs new Strategic Plan will be complete, The Works relocation will be nearly complete, and that a comprehensive transition plan will be implemented for her successor.
He said that he intends to bring forward a motion at the May 27 BOH meeting to form a search committee for the citys next medical officer of health.
Dr. de Villa, thank you for your service to the City of Toronto. Your leadership in building a healthier, more equitable city has made a lasting impact, and your dedication to public health will be remembered and celebrated. Wishing you all the best in your future endeavours, Moise said.
Iuliia Mikhalitskaia/ iStock
A new meta-analysis of 17 studies reveals that tuberculosis (TB) and COVID-19 co-infection are becoming increasingly prevalent around the world, with death rates gradually declining but remaining higher than COVID-19 infection alone. The study was published yesterday in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
The 17 studies were conducted in 38 countries or regions, spanning both high- and low-TB prevalence areas. Sixteen of the studies were single-country studies. The other study included TB-COVID patients from 172 centers in 34 countries as part of the TB/COVID-19 Global Study Group in 2022.
Two studies estimated TB-COVID joint infection prevalence, one conducted in Western Cape Province, South Africa, (prevalence of 0.06%) and one in California (prevalence of 0.02%). In all studies, patients were treated with known TB drugs, including rifampicin, isoniazid, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide. The authors found no studies that could provide specific guidance on the best practices for managing TB-COVID co-infections.
Patients with both infections were at an increased risk for hospitalization, intensive care unit admission, and death. The estimated fatality rate among hospitalized patients with TB-COVID co-infection was 11.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.6% to 18.8%). Overall fatality rate for patients co-infected was 7.1% (95% CI, 4.0% to 10.8%).
The pooled relative risk of in-hospital fatality was 0.8 (95% CI, 0.18 to 3.68) for TB-COVID patients versus patients with COVID-19 only, the authors found.
Individuals with TB-COVID co-infection are at heightened risk of hospitalization, protracted recovery periods, and accelerated mortality compared to those with sole COVID-19 infections
"Our analysis consistently shows that individuals with TB-COVID co-infection are at heightened risk of hospitalization, protracted recovery periods, and accelerated mortality compared to those with sole COVID-19 infections," the study authors wrote. "Remarkably, we found limited information on the post-COVID-19 condition of co-infected patient."
John Krasinski sat down with Jimmy Fallon on Friday to discuss his newest movie IF, which he said was partly inspired by the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on his two children, Hazel and Violet. He explained that during the pandemic, Genuinely, I saw their light starting to go out, and they started playing fewer and fewer imaginary games.
Krasinski said he always wanted to make a film for his children, but wasnt sure what story would work the best. He had the idea to tie in imaginary friends like 10 years ago, but nothing was cemented. Over time, the imaginary world he watched his and wife Emily Blunts daughters disappear into inspired him.
I used to just stand in the doorway and watch my kids disappear in this magical world that we, as parents, arent allowed in, he explained. And it wasnt just like the joy that was on their face, it was how authentic they were they could be anything they wanted in this world. And I said, Em, that would make a great movie.'
Krasinski added that he wrote the movie in part to, in turn, inspire his daughters. Im writing this movie right now to prove to you that magical world is always there and you can always go back, he said that he told them.
The movie stars Cailey Fleming as Bea, a young girl who has discovered she can see peoples imaginary friends and makes it her mission to reconnect forgotten imaginary friends, or IFs, with their kids.
Krasinski had plenty of praise for Fleming. He said, Ill be honest, the whole movie works because of her, because you have this idea and its hugely ambitious, and it can go around many ways.
Watch the full interview with John Krasinski from The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon in the video above.
The post John Krasinski Says the COVID-19 Pandemics Effect on His Kids Inspired IF Imaginary Friends Movie | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
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Coroner Stphanie Gamache is investigating the death of Raphal Andr, 51, whose body was discovered inside a portable outdoor toilet steps away from a shelter in January 2021.
Published May 14, 2024 Last updated 10hours ago 4 minute read
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For unhoused people living in the street, there is a sort of order provided by the resources in place that helps to orchestrate the day-to-day lives of most.
When you live or survive in the street, things still work in a way, emergency shelter co-ordinator Jonathan Lebire said Tuesday at the coroners inquest into the death of Raphal Andr. You know where you can go to sleep, to get the things you need.
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COVID-19 destroyed all of those things.
On Jan. 17, 2021, at the height of the COVID-19 crisis and just eight days after Quebec instituted a curfew to stop mounting infections, Andr, a 51-year-old Innu man, was found dead inside a portable outdoor toilet steps away from a homeless shelter. Three years later, the inquest of coroner Stphanie Gamache started this week to look at the causes that could have contributed to his death, and for possible solutions.
Lebire knew Andr well because he was a regular at the Projet Autochtones du Qubec (PAQ) emergency shelter serving Indigenous men and women in downtown Montreal. The news of Andrs death came as a shock.
Raphal was full of life, he was always smiling, Lebire said. He wasnt someone who was depressive, he wasnt aggressive or violent. He was resilient.
I found he had a good place in his community, he had the respect of people.
The arrival of COVID-19, which saw the closing of shelters and soup kitchens, threw things into chaos, Lebire said.
People were completely broken. They didnt have any money to survive. Often they didnt know where to go to eat or sleep.
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When the Canadian government started distributing COVID-19 payments, organized crime groups got homeless people on the payment rolls, Lebire said, for a cut of the proceeds. The influx of money resulted in increased drug use. When the dpanneurs had to close early because of the curfew, crack dealers started hanging around the shelters, knowing the chronic alcoholics would need something else.
COVID-19 unbalanced everything, Lebire said. People who didnt consume drugs in the past started using.
On the day before Andr was found dead, Lebire told him that new COVID-19 regulations in Quebec stipulated anyone wanting to stay in an emergency shelter must take a COVID test first. Andr told Lebire that would be a problem for him and many others in the Indigenous community. Lebire said he knew that, but his hands were tied. He had to enforce the rules if he wanted to keep his job. They shook hands before Andr departed.
Andr went to the Open Door shelter afterward, but COVID-19 restrictions meant it was no longer accommodating overnight stays. Workers there offered to call him a taxi to stay at the PAQ shelter, but he refused. Andrs body was found the next morning in a portable toilet steps away from the closed Open Door shelter.
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Miraculously, after Raphal passed away, all of a sudden we were allowed to open at night again, said John Tessier, a former employee at Open Door. Which was very frustrating, especially as the person who had to ask him to leave.
Earlier in the day, Dr. Julie St-Cyr Bourque, the nurse and emergency room doctor who treated Andr at the Centre hospitalier de lUniversit de Montral (CHUM) the day before he died, testified that he was inebriated, but not in a severely depressed state of consciousness. He had been admitted because he fell in a dpanneur, cutting open his head.
The coroner asked if St-Cyr Bourque was aware Andr had been to the same ER more than half a dozen times in the month prior to their meeting. She said she was not, but said it would not affect her treatment of him. She treated his minor head wounds, asked if he had access to a shelter and discharged him around 6 p.m.
Blood samples showed Andr had imbibed the equivalent of 14 drinks and his levels were four times the legal driving limit on the night he died, a chemist and toxicologist with the laboratory of medical and legal sciences testified. It was enough alcohol to put the usual person into a deep stupor or sleep from which it would be hard to revive, she said. There was also valium in his system, which had been prescribed by St-Cyr Bourque earlier that day to treat his anxiety and distress. The two together would have the effect of decreasing the central nervous system.
Pathologist Dr. Yann Daz testified that an autopsy determined the likely cause of death was hypothermia, in a heavily intoxicated man. It was not thought the amounts of alcohol and valium were enough to cause his death alone.
He noted that Andrs blood samples showed he did not have COVID-19.
rbruemmer@postmedia.com
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swissinfo.ch / Keystone
Four years ago, our lives were upended by the Covid-19 pandemic. Countries locked down, millions became ill, millions died. And when the vaccine finally arrived, it was not fairly distributed. Rich countries bought too many, poor countries waited, with nothing.
This content was published on May 14, 2024 - 10:00
Imogen Foulkes
Imogen Foulkes reports from Geneva for SWI swissinfo.ch as well as the BBC.
What we saw during the Covid-19 pandemic was collapse. Basically, a complete failure of international cooperation, says Suerie Moon, from the Global Health Centre at the Geneva Graduate Institute.
Surely we can do better? Countries are gathering in Geneva to try to hammer out a pandemic treaty. Do they have the vision? And the courage?
Theres been so much lip service paid to equity, but when it actually comes to nailing down what that means, and how to avoid a repeat, it seems like governments are struggling, says Kerry Cullinan, deputy editor of Health Policy Watch.
What about the vaccine manufacturers? Are they ready to share?
Thomas Cueni, outgoing head of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers, says: Ive always been of the view that no treaty is better than a bad treaty. Have a good treaty, I think it would be great.
Are we going to be better equipped for the next pandemic?
I think it would be an insult to the seven million people plus who died during the pandemic for there not to be a historic agreement, says Cullinan.
Join host Imogen Foulkes on our Inside Geneva podcast to learn more about this treaty.
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Why is Switzerland so sweet on cryptocurrency? Whats it like to be a Swiss expat in America? Swiss women couldnt vote until when?!
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Opinion
This content was published on May 26, 2022 The WHO should allow for greater civil society participation to ensure that human rights are taken into account during pandemic treaty negotiations.
This content was published on Nov 30, 2021 Vaccines have been developed in record time, yet nearly half the worlds population has not received a single dose. What has gone wrong?
Interventions such as testing patients for COVID-19 on admission, isolation of ill healthcare workers (HCWs), and universal HCW masking from March 2020 to July 2022 significantly reduced SARS-CoV-2 transmission among patients and staff in UK hospitals, suggests asimulation study led by UK Health Security Agency researchers in London.
The findings were published last week in BMC Infectious Diseases.
The scientists used an individual-based model of in-hospital SARS-CoV-2 spread and a panel of infection-prevention experts to estimate the effectiveness of disease-mitigation measures during the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study period spanned the predominance of different viral variants and the availability of different vaccines and doses.
"Model parameters and associated uncertainty were derived using national and local data, literature review and formal elicitation of expert opinion," the study authors wrote. "We simulated scenarios to explore how many nosocomial [hospital-related] infections might have been seen in patients and HCWs if interventions had not been implemented."
Results of the simulation suggest that, without COVID-19 testing at hospital admission, other infection-prevention protocols, and limits on occupancy and visitors, twice as many patients could have been infected in the first 2 years of the pandemic.
"Testing and cohorting of patients and isolation of HCWs were the most important interventions for reducing transmission to patients and HCWs preventing up to 34% (3040%) of infections," the researchers wrote. "We also identified a significant role for masking, with universal masking being more impactful than masking around patients alone (40% (3052%) vs 17% (1420%) reduction)."
They cautioned, however, that their study focused on the overall impact of masking but didn't distinguish between the use of respirators or surgical masks. Also, it assumed total compliance with measures such as testing and isolation and didn't consider individual HCW differences in risk of infection when outside the hospital.
The infection-prevention measures had the greatest effect during times of limited immunity (beginning of the pandemic and during the Omicron variant surge) and were least effective during times of high immunity from COVID-19 vaccination and previous infection.
These results highlight the importance of maintaining high levels of compliance to infection prevention and control measures in hospitals and have important implications as hospitals prepare for a surge in demand due to emerging winter pressures and COVID-19.
"Model findings suggest that collectively the interventions introduced over the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in England averted 400,000 (240,000 500,000) infections in inpatients and 410,000 (370,000 450,000) HCW infections," the researchers wrote.
The authors said that the findings point to a role for limited patient visitation during times of high community prevalence.
"These results highlight the importance of maintaining high levels of compliance to infection prevention and control measures in hospitals and have important implications as hospitals prepare for a surge in demand due to emerging winter pressures and COVID-19," they concluded.
The new coronavirus variant called KP.2 nicknamed FLiRT that has been linked to rising cases of Covid-19 in the United States, United Kingdom, and South Korea, has been in circulation in India since November 2023, genomic surveillance data show. About 250 KP.2 sequences have been reported so far by INSACOG, the countrys genome sequencing consortium.
KP.2 is a descendant of the JN.1 variant of the virus. It is a sub-variant of the Omicron lineage with new mutations. FLiRT, the nickname of KP.2, is based on the letters representing two immune escape mutations that allow the virus to evade antibodies.
Genomic scientist Dr Vinod Scaria said: These two mutations on the spike protein disrupt the major sites on the spike protein where antibodies bind and neutralise the SARS-CoV-2 virus. These mutations allow the virus to escape antibodies.
A little more than half of the 250 KP.2 genomes sequenced by INSACOG 128 sequences were from Maharashtra. The highest number of KP.2 sequences were found in March.
India has been reporting the highest proportion of KP.2 sequences in the world, global data show. KP.2 sequences made up 29% of Covid-19 sequences uploaded by India to the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID), the worlds largest repository of these sequences, over the last 60 days.
However, JN.1 continues to be the dominant variant of SARS-CoV-2 in the country. There were 679 active cases of Covid-19 in India on May 14, according to Union Health Ministry data, and one death in Delhi was attributed to the disease.
FLiRT is characterised by its ability to evade immunity from vaccines and previous infections. Its symptoms are similar to those of earlier variants, including fever, cough, fatigue, and digestive issues.
Experts are watching the variant closely, but they are not very concerned at the moment. There is no need to worry, Dr Anurag Agarwal, dean of the Trivedi School of Biosciences at Ashoka University, said. These [immune escape] mutations [like the ones on FLiRT] have been seen before.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that there are currently no indicators suggesting that KP.2 would cause more severe illness than other strains.
Yes, FLiRT has a heightened transmission rate and, like its parent JN.1, it is likely to drive a wave of infections, Dr Scaria said. Also, the infections are likely to spread silently because without severe symptoms, most people are unlikely to get themselves tested.
Dr Rajesh Chawla, senior consultant, pulmonology and critical care at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in Delhi, said given the likelihood of easy spread of the virus through respiratory droplets, there is need to take stringent precautions, especially for those with a compromised immune system.
Senior citizens are vulnerable to severe illness due to factors such as age-related physiological changes, decreased immune function, and the presence of comorbidities. Research indicates that adults aged 60 and older, especially those with pre-existing medical conditions like heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, or cancer, are more likely to experience severe and potentially fatal Covid-19 infections compared to other age groups.
People who are 65 and older, or immunocompromised, and pregnant women are the most vulnerable.
This variant, like many of its Omicron predecessors, mainly affects the upper respiratory tract. There is no documented difference in presentations, Dr Scaria said.
Dr Chawla said that those affected report fever or chills, cough, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, headache, muscle aches, difficulty in breathing, fatigue, loss of taste or smell, brain fog, feeling less wakeful and aware, and gastro-intestinal symptoms including upset stomach, mild diarrhoea, and vomiting.
Hospitalisation rates for patients with these symptoms were not higher than usual, Dr Chawla said.
How can infection be prevented?
Preventive measures are the same as the ones that have been advised since the beginning of the Covid outbreak four years ago. Social distancing and the use of well-fitting respirators like N95s or KN95s in indoor public settings protect against all variants of the Covid-19 virus.
Increased air flow and filtration in indoor spaces also help reduce the concentration of virus particles. Vulnerable groups and those living in areas where the infection is in circulation should be especially careful.
Most Covid-19 vaccines available in India are aimed at the original variant of the virus, so additional shots are unlikely to help.
In late April, the WHOs Covid vaccine advisory group advised the use of JN.1 lineage as the antigen for upcoming vaccine formulations, as the FLiRT variants are within the JN.1 family. However the Indian vaccines are not updated with the JN.1 variant, and therefore booster doses in India are unlikely to be effective, Dr Scaria said.
Dr Agarwal said that most Indians do not need a booster because they have probably already had repeated infections, including silent infections with JN.1.
The coronavirus has once again evolved, in a familiar echo of past years. Unlike earlier iterations of the virus, this new variant is not sparking widespread havoc.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is monitoring a variant called KP.2 and does not see evidence it causes more severe illness than other strains. Laboratory tests have shown that KP.2 is not causing a surge in infections or transmission, the agency said.
