What to Know About COVID-19 ‘FLiRT’ Variants in Chicago

A new group of COVID-19 variants — dubbed “FLiRT” for the name of their mutations — are spreading across the country. Here’s what Chicagoans should know.

What are the New Variants?

Descendents of the omicron variant, KP.2 and KP1.1 collectively make up more than 30% of cases in the U.S., according to recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. KP.2 in particular makes up 28% of cases in the country, the most of any strain.

As of last week, KP.2 has already been detected in Chicago while KP1.1 was expected to be detected soon, the Tribune reported.

What’s the Latest on Vaccines?

In Chicago, only 16% of the population is up to date on COVID vaccinations, according to the city dashboard.

Some local health experts are encouraging residents to get the most updated vaccine, which came out in September, if they haven’t already. Residents over 65 can now get another shot if it’s been four months since their last one.

The Food and Drug Administration was set to discuss the fall 2024 vaccine Thursday, but the meeting got bumped to early June.

Will There Be a Summer Surge?

It’s too soon to say: COVID-19 deaths are down in Chicago, and hospital admission is low.

But keep an eye on wastewater surveillance, which gives a sense of how much virus is circulating beyond the test results people report. There are some local sewersheds seeing increased viral levels: Austin/Montclare, North Branch, and the Stickney North and South plants.