Scientists are sounding the alarm over a new Covid variant that’s driving up hospitalisation rates across the UK ahead of summer. KP.3 belongs to a new group of COVID-19 variants, known collectively as FLiRT, which emerged in early April. The unofficial nickname was inspired by the names of the mutations in the genetic code of the variants. They are a spin-off from JN.1 – a variant that could transmit efficiently through an additional one or two mutations. Three strains of the new FLiRT variation, KP.1.1, KP.3 and KP.2, accounted for 40 percent of all cases in the UK as of April 2024. KP.2 is …
