Summer COVID Symptoms to Look Out for as Latest Variant Rises

as the kp. 3.1.1 co9 variant becomes dominant in the US there has been a noticeable rise in covid cases during the summer leading to renewed concerns about the virus's impact this variant which is part of the broader group of flirt variants is showing signs of being more infectious and potentially better at evading the immune defenses built by previous infections and vaccinations the symptoms associated with kp. 3.1.1 are similar to those seen with earlier strains of the virus common symptoms include fever cough fatigue sore throat runny nose and headaches some individuals may also experience muscle or body aches shortness of breath and loss of taste or smell though these latter symptoms have become less common with newer variants despite its increased transmissibility the severity of the illness caused by kp. 3.1.1 and other flirt variants generally appears to be milder compared to earlier strains particularly for those who are vaccinated one of the key challenges with the kp. 3.1.1 variant is its ability to partially evade immunity meaning that even those who have been previously infected or vaccinated might be susceptible to reinfection this has led to a noticeable uptick in positive covid-19 tests and increased virus detection in Wastewater surveys across many states while hospitalizations and death rates remain relatively low the rise in infection serves as a reminder of the viruses ongoing presence and the importance of monitoring symptoms especially as more infectious variants continue to emerge Public Health experts continue to emphasize the importance of vaccination booster Doses and precautionary measures particularly for those at higher risk of severe illness