FLiRT COVID-19 variants make up more than a third of US cases

More than a third of U.S. COVID-19 cases are now caused by new, fast-growing "FLiRT" variants, prompting the Food and Drug Administration to delay selecting the strain for this fall's vaccines pending more data.

FLiRT variants are nicknamed for their small but distinctive changes relative to the JN.1 strain. The largest among the variants, called KP.2, has multiplied in recent weeks to become the now-dominant new COVID-19 strain.

KP.2 and another strain with the same FLiRT mutations, called KP.1.1, made up a projected 35.3% of infections as of May 11. This is an increase from 7.1% about a month ago.

However, while KP.2 is proportionally the most dominant variant, it is not causing an increase in infections, and the strain does not have large amounts of concerning changes.

Read more: CBS News

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