Man it sure feels like the fool on the hill invested on the day stocks turned around./ That Lizard King he would be so short right now if he could find me.... Alert****--> COVID SPIKING!!! FLIRT variant !!! FDA meeting canceled...
The worry is that newly emerging versions of the virus could change things. The FLiRT variants are descended from omicron, and have mutations in the spike protein that make them more easily transmissible, according to experts. The group of variants, which include KP.1.1 and KP.2, are named after the troubling mutations responsible for the extra transmissibility, the F456L and R346T mutations. It all involves a lot of confusing letters and numbers. This winter, JN.1 was the dominant strain. By April 22, its descendent KP.2 variations with the FLiRT mutations accounted for over 40% of global prevalence, according to the UK health analytics firm Airfinity. KP.2 accounts for 28% of US cases, according to CDC data. KP.2’s growing prevalence was enough to give the FDA a reason to postpone their periodic vaccine meeting from May 16 to June 5. Ahead of flu season, the FDA wants to reevaluate whether the next round of Covid boosters should protect against KP or JN or both. As of now the World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency are recommending vaccines for the earlier variant. The FDA Is likely weighing whether its vaccine recommendation should include protection for the current dominant strain in the fall and winter, an Airfinity analysis said. This is not an easy decision for regulators. They have to weigh whether to prioritize a quicker vaccine delivery with the broadest protection or a recommendation that could protect against future subvariants with delivery delays of up to four months.