Australians have been warned that a new Covid-19 strain is contributing to a ‘sicker than normal’ winter season.
KP.3, also known as FLuQE, is a subvariant of the previously most dominant strain FLiRT and contains a new mutation that makes it more infectious.
The FLiRT family are all descendants of the JN.1 variant, which caused masses of infections in Australia and in many other countries six months ago.
Specialists fear that FLuQE means Australia is in the midst of a rising new wave of Covid infections.
‘We’re sicker than usual this winter, and we’re seeing a lot of things circulated simultaneously,’ Professor Paul Griffin of the University of Queensland told SBS.
‘That means a very significant proportion of the population is infected or has recently been infected.’
As well as FLiRT, case numbers show Australia is experiencing waves of influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), mycoplasma pneumonia and whooping cough.
Prof Griffin, who is an infectious diseases physician and clinical microbiologist, said he does not recall ‘a time where we’ve had all five of those things circulating in such high numbers’.
Australians have been warned that a new Covid-19 strain is contributing to a ‘sicker than normal’ winter season
KP.3, which is also known as FLuQE, is a sub-variant of the previously most dominant strain FLiRT, and contains a new mutation that makes it more infectious
‘What this virus has done many times, and continues to do, is that it’s changed significantly.
‘Certainly in our country, FLuQE, or KP.3, has passed FLiRT, or KP.2.’
Data from NSW Health showed the first FLuQE cases were first recorded in the state in late March.
Within two months, by late May, FLuQE had taken over as the dominant variant circulating in the state.
NSW and Queensland have each seen a surge in whooping cough infections – a potentially deadly respiratory infection, most serious in babies under 12 months old.
Together, the two states have already recorded more than 10,000 cases this year.
Flu cases are also surging across Australia, with 16,777 cases recorded in NSW alone last week, which is around double the number reported two weeks before.
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