FLiRT and LB.1 - how worried should we be about the new Covid strains?

Many of us are aware of friends or family members who have recently had severe cold-like symptoms. If you're battling a persistent cough or sore throat that refuses to subside, it's possible you've contracted one of the new Covid strains.

While it could be just a common cold or flu, there's talk about a Covid resurgence due to new variants named FLiRT and LB.1. These variants have begun to circulate throughout the UK this summer, causing illness in many. The question arises: what implications does this have, how concerned should we be, and what symptoms can be expected if infected?

Summertime offers numerous chances to socialize and congregate with large groups of people at crowded venues like festivals, which create ideal conditions for the transmission of viruses. "Increased travel and big events such as festivals often result in crowded settings where the virus can spread more easily, and there is no longer any legal restrictions like wearing masks, social distancing," says Dr Mariyam Malik, an NHS and private GP at Pall Mall Medical.

Some health experts have also suggested that two new Covid variants, FLiRT and LB. 1, might be able evade immunity, which is why people who have been vaccinated are still getting ill. Malik added: "The FLiRT variant has specific changes in its spike protein that might make it spread more easily and dodge immunity from past infections or vaccines. Similarly, the LB.1 variant has mutations that help it spread and possibly weaken the protection we get from previous immunity, making these variants different from earlier versions of the virus."

The GP clarifies that new variants naturally emerge over time, and widespread infections increase the virus's opportunities to mutate. Moreover, our