The Ministry of Health of Ukraine has reported the detection of three cases of a new subvariant of the coronavirus 'Omicron', dubbed 'FLiRT'. This variant is characterized by faster transmission and a better ability to evade the body's immune response, which has raised concerns among medical experts and the public.
The new subvariant of the coronavirus “Omicron” – “FLiRT” – is tentatively characterized by being transmitted even more quickly from person to person and evading the immune response to an even greater extent. This means that a person who has not received a booster dose of the vaccine is at greater risk of getting sick.
This was announced by Deputy Minister of Health - Chief State Sanitary Doctor Igor Kuzin during a telethon.
Kuzin noted that the absolute incidence of the disease in Ukraine has been increasing in the past few months. He recalled that last week, three cases of a new subvariant of the coronavirus “Omicron” – “FLiRT”, which had not been encountered in Ukraine before, were registered.
This is one of the subvariants that is tentatively characterized by being even more transmissible from person to person and even more immune-mediated. This means that a person who has not received a booster dose of the vaccine is at greater risk of getting sick if they have a current level of immunity against COVID-19 due to vaccination
He reported that despite the fact that no official risk assessments have yet been provided, there is a report from the WHO that the current vaccine used in Ukraine and around the world is equally effective against this strain, "FLiRT.".
“Therefore, vaccination is available, there is a vaccine on the territory of Ukraine - more than half a million doses. That is, the vaccine itself remains an effective tool,” said Kuzin.
He also reported that the common symptoms of “FLiRT” are fever, mainly in the first days of the disease, cough. Headache, muscle fatigue may occur, and these symptoms are common to any strain.
