| Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
It’s rather ironic that the new COVID-19 variants have been dubbed FLiRT, considering that one of the health protocols at the height of the pandemic was to avoid physical contact and maintain social distancing. It reminds me of Dionne Warwick’s old song with the lyrics, “What do you get when you kiss a guy? You get enough germs to catch pneumonia…”
But levity aside, what exactly are the FLiRT variants? Apparently, they are new variants that begin with either KP or JN and descend from the JN.1 variant, which is very similar to the Omicron strain. The FLiRT variants have two more protein spikes than the JN.1, and these added spikes enable them to evade immunity and may have a greater ability to transmit.
The nickname “FLiRT” came from Canadian professor of evolutionary biology Dr. T. Ryan Gregory, who combined the new variants’ first letters of the spike protein mutations (amino acid changes). “Each amino acid has its own letter abbreviation. FLiRT is F456L + R346T, or phenylalanine (F) to leucine (L) at position 456 and arginine (R) to threonine (T) at position 346,” Gregory wrote on X last March.
Experts have expressed concern about a possible uptick in COVID-19 cases during summer when people travel more and go on holiday breaks—thereby increasing their exposure to the more highly transmissible FLiRT variants that are now circulating in many countries and are reportedly becoming the dominant strains in the United States.
Reports are coming in about rising infections and hospitalizations in many places, including France. Health authorities report a continued rise for the “sixth week running.”
Hawaii’s Department of Health dashboard also shows an uptick in COVID-19 cases. In a statement issued last Wednesday, State Epidemiologist Sarah Kemble said, “This week, the dashboard shows that COVID-19 test positivity is higher than expected and climbing and that ED visits and hospital admissions for COVID-19 are also going up.”
Last week, the Health Ministry of Singapore announced that it was closely watching the recent increase in COVID-19 cases, which reached 25,900 earlier in May. According to Health Minister Ong Ye Kung—who has advised wearing masks once again—Singapore is “at the beginning of the wave, where it is steadily rising” and estimates the wave to peak “between mid- and end-June.”
Cases involving the new variants have also been reported in the UK and Israel. In the Philippines, the Department of Health says the FLiRT variants may have likely entered the country, but the reported cases have been mild and manageable. Nevertheless, the Bureau of Quarantine is on heightened alert and will thoroughly screen visitors from countries where the new variants have been detected.
According to health experts, as much as 60 percent of those who have been infected – especially young people – may be asymptomatic. However, those belonging to vulnerable groups such as the elderly, the very young, the pregnant, immunocompromised individuals, and those with long-term health conditions have to be extra careful and vigilant, especially when they display some of the symptoms of COVID-19.
“The emergence of new variants only shows that COVID-19, as projected, will continue to mutate. Like the flu, COVID-19 is here to stay and remains a significant threat to public health. Although some people are against vaccination, there is no denying that vaccines have been effective in protecting against earlier strains like the Delta and Omicron and preventing more deaths.”
The emergence of new variants only shows that COVID-19, as projected, will continue to mutate. Like the flu, COVID-19 is here to stay and remains a significant threat to public health. Although some people are against vaccination, there is no denying that vaccines have been effective in protecting against earlier strains like the Delta and Omicron and preventing more deaths. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and health experts recommend the updated 2023-2024 vaccines for everyone five years and older to protect against serious illness from COVID-19.
Considering our devastating experience during the pandemic, which was one of the biggest challenges that the world faced in recent history – infecting over 704 million and causing the death of more than seven million worldwide – we were really hoping to see strong cooperation among nations, particularly the big ones like the US, China, Russia, and European countries.
Yet today, we have an ongoing war in Ukraine that could spread to Europe while the conflict in the Middle East continues to reverberate around the world. The underlying rivalry between the US and China, exacerbated by developments in the South China Sea, is stoking fears that an escalation could result in regional instability or, worse, World War III. All these are making people wonder and ask the question—will we ever have honest-to-goodness peace in the world?
Unquestionably, President Marcos has emerged as one of the prominent leaders on the world stage, especially after being the keynote speaker at the Singapore Shangri-La Dialogue last Friday. The president acknowledged that “China’s determining influence over the security situation and the economic evolution” in the Indo-Pacific is “a permanent fact.”
However, he also recognized the “stabilizing presence of the United States,” saying it is “crucial to regional peace.”
The president called on both nations to manage their rivalry responsibly, saying this is critical to the continued stability in the region. He also correctly pointed out that “peace, security, and stability are the business of all countries.”
“It has become even more crucial for us to assert that the future of our region will be driven not by one or two powerful countries, but by all of us,” the president underscored – reminding everyone to look to the past as it “inspires the needed clarity and foresight to confront the challenges of the present and build a future to which we all aspire.”
Email: babeseyeview@gmail.com
