'FLiRT' new coronavirus subvariant predominant in Canada. What you need to know about this stock – National

lull in canada COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection) The case faces potential disruption with the emergence of a new subvariant family, playfully referred to as the “FLiRT” variants.

These genetic cousins ​​are JN.1a subvariant of Omicron spurred the winter surge.which is now spreading across the country, has one variant; KP.2quickly gained dominance in Canada.

KP.2 is a major subvariant of the JN.1 strain, explained Gerald Evans, an infectious disease expert at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont. As of April 28th, National data shows KP.2 accounts for 26.6 per cent of all COVID-19 infections in Canada, outpacing other JN.1 variants.

“The nomenclature KP.2. It really throws people for a loop,” Evans told Global News. “But it's just a continued evolution of the JN.1 lineage that we've seen since the beginning of this year.”

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This variant, along with KP.1 and KP.3, make up what is known as the FLiRT variant, Evans said.

“The name FLiRT is a bit of an unusual name and different from the names given by social media people,” he said, adding that there is a scientific meaning behind it.

These mutations are called FLiRT mutations because aminophenylalanine (abbreviated as F) replaces the amino acid leucine (abbreviated as L) and the amino acid arginine (R) is replaced with threonine (T), he said. said.

“And the I is just there to make it sound like a real word. That's what FLiRT stands for. It's just a designation to talk about where the mutations line up,” he said. Said.

On Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the KP.2 subvariant began circulating around the world in January.

“KP.2 is a descendant of JN.1, which is the predominant strain worldwide,” Maria van Kerkhove, WHO's COVID-19 technical lead, said in a virtual press conference on Wednesday. “KP.2…there are additional mutations in the spike protein. There are other new variants and JN.1 continues to evolve and we will continue to see these variants in circulation. I will.”

He added that WHO continues to closely monitor the evolution of the virus.

In Canada, the appearance of KP.2 was first observed in February. Evans revealed that in designating the variant, he named it “KP.2” because when three or more numbers accumulate, a new prefix is ​​assigned. In this case, JN.1 turned into his KP.2.

“It's this interesting prefix change that makes people think, 'Oh, this is a completely new variant,'” he says. “This is just the virus continuing to evolve.”

Levels of COVID-19 infections are currently relatively low on average across Canada, but infectious disease specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch says the latest mutations may allow the new coronavirus to do more to evade our immunity. It suggested that the number of new coronavirus infections may be rising rapidly, and emphasized that the number of new coronavirus infections could be indicative of an imminent surge.

“We didn't see much of a spring wave of coronavirus infections this year,” Bogoch told Global News. “did it [KP.2] Will it cause an increase in new coronavirus infections? Certainly it is possible. This mutation could allow the virus to evade current immunity and cause reinfection. But usually, on average, these infections are less severe. ”

Bogoch said that while FLiRT variants may be better able to evade people's immunity, “we are not yet able to deal with people who are not immune.”

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He stressed that the vast majority of people have had COVID-19, been vaccinated, or both. This means that this virus is less of a threat to healthy adults and children. However, he stressed that it remains a serious concern for the elderly and immunocompromised.

“Of course, people can still get infected and reinfected. But the severity of the disease is on average much lower,” he said.

Evans agreed, saying current data shows that the KP.2 subvariant has reproductive advantages, but still has significantly reduced growth rates compared to previous variants. pointed out.

“It doesn't seem to be as contagious as previous generations,” Evans said. “And the most preliminary data we have from lab experiments shows that transmissibility is reduced by about a factor of 10. You're less contagious and can infect someone even after some contact.” This is great because it means it's unlikely.”

Bogoch acknowledged that the data is still new, but noted that so far the symptoms of the FLiRT variant seem to match those of all Omicron variants.

“We know the typical symptoms of coronavirus infection. It is unlikely that anything surprising will happen on this front,” he said.

Symptoms of novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) include:

• sore throat
• snot
• sneeze
• new or worsening cough
• shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• feverish
• cold
• fatigue or weakness
• muscle pain or body aches
• New loss of smell or taste
• headache

The COVID-19 vaccines currently available in Canada target the XBB 1.5 omicron subvariant. Evans revealed that it is expected to be effective against the FLiRT variant, even though it does not contain the JN.1 virus.

“It provides some protection against JN.1,” he said.

Evans emphasized that if you are young and in good health and received the coronavirus vaccine in the fall, you likely won't need a booster shot until the fall of 2024.

However, he advised Canadians over 65 and those with weakened immune systems to get the spring booster.

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Last week, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) Announcement of new coronavirus infection vaccine guidelines for fall 2024He said he expected the number of cases to rise again in the fall and winter.

“A modern vaccine to replace the current XBB.1.5 vaccine could become available from autumn 2024, depending on the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 and the recommendations of the International Advisory Group, expected in mid-spring 2024. ” NACI noted.

On Wednesday, the WHO announced that its Technical Advisory Group on COVID-19 Vaccine Composition recommended the inclusion of JN.1 in future vaccine formulations.

“The WHO has decided to use JN.1 as a template for vaccine production and we will probably hear from the US next month,” Bogoch said.

“But this is an arms race and if we try to get ahead of the virus, it's going to be very difficult because the virus keeps mutating. This is going to be very difficult as we try to keep up with the flu vaccine and the ever-changing flu. “It’s very similar” virus. “