A new Covid variant sweeping both the UK and US has prompted a warning from health chiefs.
Bosses at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) admit they do not know whether the mutated strain is more contagious or more deadly.
Yet top scientists remain convinced that the darkest days of the pandemic era are in history.
The new variant, nicknamed FLiRT, is now being monitored. Currently, it represents about 30 percent of new cases.
FLiRT also accounts for about a quarter of new cases in the US, surveillance data shows.
Bosses at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) admit they do not know whether the mutated strain is more contagious or more deadly. The new variant, nicknamed FLiRT, is now being monitored. Currently, it represents about 30 percent of new cases
It comes as the number of Covid cases in the UK continues to slowly increase after infections fell in the spring. Virologists use the term FLiRT to describe a family of different variants: KP.2, KP.3, JN.1.7, JN.1.1 and KP.1.1
ONS data on Covid infections shows that more than 80 per cent of Britons suffer from a runny nose when infected. A loss of taste or smell – one of the original signs of the virus – accounts for just under a fifth of all recorded symptoms
It comes as the number of Covid cases in the UK continues to slowly increase after infections fell in the spring.
Virologists use the term FLiRT to describe a family of different variants: KP.2, KP.3, JN.1.7, JN.1.1 and KP.1.1.
They are all descendants of the JN.1 variant that has been dominant in Britain in recent months. That itself was called Juno.
It appears that they all independently picked up the same set of mutations on the spike protein, which the virus uses to attach and stick to humans.
Some mutations make it easier for the virus to infect the nose and throat compared to other circulating variants.
The UKHSA said: ‘When a new variant appears on our radar, it is often quite difficult in the early stages to know whether the mutations provide benefits to the virus.
‘Genetic mutations occur all the time, and in some cases they are known to make a virus less transmissible or cause a milder reaction in people.’
Ministers have repeatedly said they will not resort to imposing lockdowns unless there is a doomsday scenario.
A wall of immunity among the population – built up through repeated waves of infections and the rollout of vaccines – has given officials the confidence to make pandemic-era measures a thing of the past.
Spikes in Covid cases could still cause mass illness across the country, wreaking havoc on schools, healthcare and public transport.
The latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that 1,985 Covid cases were recorded in the week ending May 7, a 25 percent increase on the previous seven days.
Yet this only reflects the part of society that still tests and submits results.
Once the worst of the pandemic passed, officials threw out the mass testing programs.
Also ‘positivity rates’ – considered one of the best ways to gauge the extent of an outbreak rose to 8.6 percent in the week ending May 5, up from 6.8 percent the week before.
Officials are no longer monitoring the prevalence of the virus in the same way as before, as part of the government’s ushering in of pre-Covid normalities.
Dr. Mary Ramsay, director of public health programs at the UKHSA, said last week: ‘Once again Covid cases and hospital admissions have risen this week, so now is the time to get your spring vaccine if you are eligible and haven’t already done so.
‘If you have symptoms of Covid or flu, try to stay at home as this will help protect others, especially those who are more vulnerable to these viruses.
“If you can’t stay home when you’re not feeling well, consider wearing a mask.”
According to the American University John Hopkins, FLiRT does not appear to have any new specific symptoms.
The period of contagiousness also remains the same as that of JN.1 and previous Omicron variants, the institution added.
There is currently no evidence that FLiRT poses a greater threat than the dozens of species that have come before it.
According to the CDCthere is no reason to believe that it would also cause more severe disease than other species.
Experts have long said that Covid is ‘on its way’ to becoming seasonal and eventually just another cause of the common cold.
Other coronaviruses known to infect humans typically cause mild symptoms.
However, health officials are still advising people with respiratory symptoms to limit their contact with vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, pregnant women and those with underlying conditions, amid fears they could become seriously unwell if infected.