There is a warning that the COVID-19 virus could spread again this summer.

According to foreign media reports such as the Chicago Tribune and Axios on the 9th (local time), the subvariant "FLiRT" of Omicron, a COVID-19 mutant virus, has recently spread.

Lawrence Young, a professor of pre-sale seed studies at the University of Warwick in the UK, cited data from the US Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) and explained that "the FLIRT variant of the virus called KP.2 accounts for 25% of new infections in the United States."
However, Professor Young analyzed, "Although the virus may be more contagious than the previous variant, it is too early to determine whether it is more dangerous."

"We need to continue to monitor the spread of this variant of the virus, but we are currently in a difficult situation because we are conducting tests very rarely," he said. "The spread of the new variant of the virus and weakening immunity are of particular concern to the vulnerable, such as the elderly and people with weak immune systems." "There is growing concern that COVID-19 could be re-emerged this summer due to the FLiRT variant," he said. "Small-scale infections could spread by the variant of the virus over the next few months."

However, Professor Young diagnosed that there is no need to worry too much, saying, "Although the currently available vaccines do not completely prevent the new variant, additional vaccinations will have some preventive effect."

According to the CDC, symptoms of variant virus infection are similar to those of the existing Omicron family. Symptoms may include fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, muscle pain and body aches, headache, sore throat, runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, taste or loss of smell.

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