Canada’s pause on COVID-19 cases faces potential disruption with the emergence of a new family of subvariants, jokingly dubbed “FLiRT” variants.
These genetic cousins, derived from JN. 1, the Omicron subvariant that drove the winter surge, are now spreading nationally, with one variant, KP. 2, temporarily gaining dominance in Canada.
KP. 2 is the dominant subvariant of the JN. 1 strain, explained Gerald Evans, an infectious disease specialist at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. As of April 28, national data showed that KP. 2 accounted for 26. 6 per cent of all COVID-19 cases in Canada, surpassing other JN. 1 subvariants.
“The KP. 2 nomenclature puts other people in a loop,” Evans told Global News. “But it’s just an ongoing evolution of what we’ve noticed over the last few years since the beginning of this year, which is the JN. 1 lineage. “
This subvariant, along with KP. 1 and KP. 3, form what are known as FLiRT variants, Evans said.
“FLiRT is a bit of an odd name, and it’s not like one of the names given by social media specialists,” he said, adding that the name had clinical significance.
They are called FLiRT mutations because aminophenylalanine (abbreviated F) replaces the amino acid leucine (abbreviated L), while the amino acid arginine (R) is replaced by threonine (T), he explained.
“And the I is there just to make it sound like a genuine word. That’s what it means FLiRT. Es just a designation to communicate about the mutation limit,” he said.
On Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said the KP. 2 subvariant began circulating globally in January.
“KP. 2 is a lineage descended from JN. 1, which is the dominant strain in the world,” Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical director for COVID-19, said at a virtual press briefing on Wednesday. . . It has more mutations in the spike protein. There are emerging variants and JN. 1 continues to evolve, we will continue to see those variants circulating.
He added that the WHO is closely following the evolution of the virus.
In Canada, the emergence of KP. 2 was first observed in February. Evans clarified that it’s called “KP. 2” because when a variant accumulates more than 3 digits in its designation, it is assigned a new prefix. In this case, JN. 1 became KP. 2
“It’s because of this fun prefix replacement that other people think, ‘Oh, that’s a totally new variant,'” he said. “It’s just the uninterrupted evolution of viruses. “
Although COVID-19 degrees are currently low on average across Canada, infectious disease specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch noted that the most recent mutation suggests it might be better able to evade our immunity, which could also mean an imminent buildup of COVID-19. 19 cases.
Bogoch said that while FLiRT variants evade people’s immunity to a greater extent, “we’re still not dealing with a population that doesn’t have immunological knowledge. “
He noted that most Americans have been infected with COVID-19, vaccinated or both. This implies that the virus poses less of a risk to healthy adults and children. He stressed, however, that it remains a fear for the elderly and immunocompromised people.
“Of course, other people can still get inflamed and re-inflamed. But the severity of the disease is, on average, much lower,” he said.
Evans agreed, noting that existing knowledge implies that the KP. 2 subvariant possesses a reproductive advantage, although its rate of spread remains particularly low compared to previous variants.
“It doesn’t seem to be as contagious as past generations,” Evans said. “And the maximum initial knowledge of the experiments in the research laboratories shows that their infectivity is about ten times lower. That’s wonderful because it means it’s less contagious and less likely to infect you if you come into contact with it to some degree.
While acknowledging that knowledge is still fresh, Bogoch noted that so far, the symptoms of the FLiRT variants appear to largely align with those of all Omicron variants.
“We know what the symptoms of COVID-19 are. It’s unlikely that there will be any surprises on that side,” he said.
Symptoms of COVID-19 include:
The COVID-19 vaccine that is available lately in Canada targets the XBB 1. 5 Omicron subvariant. Evans said that despite the lack of inclusion of the JN. 1 virus, it will be effective against FLiRT variants.
“This provides some coverage against JN. 1,” he said.
Evans noted that if you are young and healthy and received the COVID-19 vaccine in the fall, another booster dose probably won’t be necessary until fall 2024.
However, for Canadians over the age of 65, as well as those who are immunocompromised, he pleaded to get the spring booster.
Last week, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) released its COVID-19 vaccine rules for fall 2024, saying it predicts a surge in the fall and winter months.
“An updated vaccine may be available as early as fall 2024 to update the existing XBB. 1. 5 vaccine, depending on the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 and recommendations from foreign advisory teams expected by mid-spring 2024. ” NACI noted.
On Wednesday, the WHO told its technical advisory body on the composition of the COVID-19 vaccine that long-term formulations of the vaccine come with JN. 1.
“The WHO has decided to use the JN. 1 model for vaccine production and we will probably hear from the United States next month,” Bogoch said.
“But if it’s an arms race and we want to be ahead of the virus, it’s going to be incredibly complicated because the virus will continue to mutate, kind of like trying to catch up with flu vaccines and an ever-evolving system. “flu viruses. “