The UK is seeing a rising number of cases of a covid subvariant called FLuQE that has already taken hold in the US and Australia.
British doctors have previously issued warnings about a summer outbreak of covid 19 with new variants spreading among festival crowds or on busy public transport networks.
GP Dr Mariyam Malik said: “Increased travel and big events such as festivals often result in crowded settings where the virus can spread more easily, and there are no longer any legal restrictions like wearing masks or social distancing.”
The warnings came with the onset of the FLiRT variant, which has become a dominant strain and seen hundreds of hospital admissions.
The FLiRT variant is itself a subvariant of the highly contagious Omicron strain that emerged in November 2021.
Common symptoms include fever, cough, fatigue, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, muscle or body aches, shortness of breath, headache, and a runny nose.
The latest sub-strain FLuQE is a subvariant of FLiRT and is now the dominant type in the US and Australia – where the winter has played a role in people falling ill.
Keep reading to find out more about this new type and what it all means.
What is the new Covid variant FLuQE?
FLuQE is also known as KP3 and is becoming an increasingly dominant substrain of covid.
KP3 is a substrain of FLiRT and is more transmissible than the other subvarients KP1, KP2, and JN1.7.
The UK Health Security Agency has published guidance about FLuQE which it says has been found in the UK “in small numbers”.
The statement added: “Data on KP3 is limited, but to date there is no evidence of a difference in severity compared to other variants currently circulating in the UK.
“UKHSA is continuing to monitor data relating to new variants both in the UK and internationally, assessing their severity and the ongoing effectiveness of vaccines. There is no change to the wider public health advice at this time.”
The agency added that it is continuing to analyse the effect of KP3 on the human immune system and could modify its guidance down the line.
What are the symptoms of FLuQE?
There is nothing to distinguish symptoms of any of the FLiRT subvarients from other Covid infections and patients do not generally find out what variant they have of the virus.
As with any covid infection, you may experience a high temperature, chills, a cough, a loss or change of taste or smell, shortness of breath, feeling tired, a headache or a loss of appetite.
The health agency said: “If you have symptoms of a respiratory infection, such as covid, and you have a high temperature or do not feel well enough to go to work or carry out normal activities, you should avoid contact with vulnerable people and stay at home, if possible.
“Vaccines remain our best defence against severe disease and hospitalisation from flu and covid.”
