The New Covid-19 FLiRT Variant Is Hitting New York, Here’s What You Need to Know

Prevention is reporting a new Covid-19 variant, identified as FLiRT, with 2 different strains spreading across New York State and the rest of the Country. Here's what you need to know.

Early in 2020 the Covid-19 virus changed life as we knew it with mask mandates, quarantining and social distancing becoming an every day part of life. In 2024 our daily routines are closer to what they were in 2019 but some some individuals continue to feel better wearing a mask. With the latest Covid-19 variant will all New Yorkers have to go back to the masks?

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The Covid-19 FLiRT variant is actually 2 strains (KP.1.1 and KP.2) and is currently the dominant strain in the United States. Symptoms from these strains include:

• Sore Throat
• Cough
• Fatigue
• Congestion
• Runny nose
• Headache
• New loss of sense of taste or smell

Researchers believe the FLiRT variant is less infectious than some of it's predecessors but this variant is more likely to evade immunity. In other words, if you thought you were immune, you might not be with this variant. Covid-19 related illnesses have decreased since December 2023. WebMD is warning Americans of a potential summer surge.

If I were to look in my crystal ball, I would say that we’re going to have another wave or increase in cases and hospitalizations sometime this summer. - Thomas A. Russo MD, chief of infectious disease at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo

It doesn't appear that we need to return to mask mandates but the CDC does recommend:

• Stay up to date with vaccines
• Practice good hygiene
• If you are sick, stay home from work and school