Top scientists have said the UK is at 'the start of a Covid wave driven by the FLiRT variants' as cases surge by 21% week-on-week
According to the UK Health Security Agency , there has been a sharp increase in hospitalisations and infections in recent weeks. The new Covid FLiRT variant is thought to behind a sudden 21% spike in Covid cases in the UK
The latest numbers from the UKHSA show a 21.2% week-on-week increase in Covid cases in England, 106 new deaths and a 73% increase in patients admitted to hospital with Covid. The mutation behind these new variants developed from the JN. 1 strain, which was known as Pirola or Juno, the M.E.N reports. However, Megan L. Ranney, dean of the Yale School of Public Health, told WebMD that FLiRT has some concerning features, like changes in the spike protein, which play a role in helping SARS-CoV-2 colonise the body and make people sick.
Should we be worried? Health chiefs in the UK say they will 'continue to monitor these variants as the situation evolves'. The UKHSA said: 'When a new variant appears on our radar, at the initial stages it is often quite difficult to know whether the mutations provide any advantages to the virus.
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