SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes Covid, is still mutating.

In April a group of new virus strains known as the FLiRT variants emerged.

The FLiRT strains are subvariants of Omicron and include the KP.1 and KP.2 strains which are now the dominant strains in the USA and have recently been detected here in the UK.

These new variants could cause a summer surge in Covid cases especially as the FLiRT variants have two mutations on their spike proteins, making it easier for the virus to evade immunity from the vaccine or a previous bout of Covid infection.

The KP.2 strain, in particular, appears to be spreading faster than KP.1.

Only this month KP.2 was classified by the World Health Organization as a Variant Under Monitoring.

This signals to public health authorities that a Covid-19 variant may require prioritised attention and monitoring.

The latest data indicates that infection rates have risen for the fourth week in a row following a sustained period of low case numbers.

Leading on from this, the FLiRT variants accounted for 67 per cent of Covid cases in the UK earlier this month.

The symptoms for KP.1 and KP.2 infection are the same as earlier variants with no indication they lead to more severe illness.

Symptoms include fever, sore throat, a runny nose and fatigue.

Fewer people lose their sense of taste and smell now than they did at the start of the pandemic.

Infected young people, especially children and teenagers, frequently experience abdominal pain, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting.

Immunity from previous vaccinations, prior infections and personal hygiene measures will reduce the impact of this surge.

People who received the latest booster vaccine may still have some protection against the FLiRT strains.

Furthermore, patients who had a recent Covid-19 infection may also have some protection. Rapid antigen home tests remain a simple, easy method to test for Covid-19 though they are not as reliable or accurate as laboratory PCR testing. There is no indication that home tests are less effective in detecting this new variant compared with past variants.

The UK Health Security Agency 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.

People at high risk for developing severe illness from Covid-19 should consider antiviral treatments.

That high-risk category includes the elderly, people who are immunocompromised and those with serious underlying medical conditions such as cancer.

Two different antiviral tablets and one injection are available and any patient concerned about this should discuss it with their GP.

Our columnist Dr Jason Seewoodhary is a former Worcester GP.