COVID emergency room visits are on the rise across much of the U.S., including in Illinois, and a particular set of new variants appears to be behind the possible surge. So which symptoms can you expect to see?
The new series of COVID variants, nicknamed the "FLiRT" variants, are dominating across the U.S., according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The variants, identified as KP.1.1, KP.3 and KP.2, collectively make up more than 54% of COVID cases in the U.S., per the CDC's most recent variant tracking data. KP.3, in particular, made up the most cases of any variant at 24.5% of cases, according to the latest forecasting data.
Similarly, emergency room visits measured through June 29 showed COVID-related visits were up 18% from the previous week. Illinois was among states seeing a "substantial change" in metrics week-over-week, the data showed. The state's COVID-related emergency room visits were up 29.7% from the previous week, though the total percent of emergency room visits deemed to be COVID visits still remained "minimal," at 0.8%.
So what can you expect with the latest strains?
What are COVID FLiRT variants?
The variants are subvariants of JN.1, which rose to dominance in December 2023 and was labeled a "variant of concern," though the "FLiRT" variants have two changes in the spike protein compared to JN.1.
"The two changes in spike have been observed in earlier lineages, including XBB.1.5 lineages, which were dominant throughout 2023 and the basis for the 2023–2024 vaccine formulation," the CDC reported.
Health officials said that while there are no indicators the new strains cause more severe illness than other strains, the "CDC will continue to monitor community transmission of the virus and how vaccines perform against this strain."
Megan L. Ranney, dean of the Yale School of Public Health, told WebMD the spike protein changes are concerning.
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Are KP.3 and other FLiRT variants more contagious?
The KP.3 variant quickly rose to dominance, overtaking KP.2 as the most prevalent strain in the U.S. in a matter of weeks, the CDC reported.
“It’s still early days, but the initial impression is that this variant is rather transmissible,” Dr. William Schaffner, professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told TODAY.com.
Some lab studies suggest the FLiRT variants may be mutated enough that previous vaccination or immunity from prior infection likely won't provide total protection, Schaffner said.
"We'll have to see how true that is, but it appears, over time to be becoming a more prominent variant," he told TODAY.
What are the symptoms?
Dr. Lakshmi Halasyamani, the Chief Clinical Officer at Endeavor Health, said despite the spread of the newest variant, the main symptoms associated with COVID remain the same.
The most common symptoms Halasyamani reported seeing are largely respiratory-related.
If you do suspect you've contracted COVID, here are some symptoms you might experience, according to the CDC:
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Runny nose
- Sneezing
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Altered sense of smell
- Congestion
- Fever or chills
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
Last year, a Chicago-area doctor said she's noticed shifts in the most common symptoms her patients reported as the JN.1 variant rose to dominance.
Dr. Chantel Tinfang, a family medicine physician with Sengstacke Health Center at Provident Hospital of Cook County, noted at the time that many of the cases she saw reported less of the fever, body aches and chills, and presented more with sore throat, fatigue and coughing.
"We still see some patients experiencing decreased appetite, a loss of taste or smell. So it kind of depends," she said. "One patient was just very, very tired. Like she couldn't really do much. And that's when you know ... it's different. It's not just coughing and shortness of breath. We still see that though."
She suggested consulting with your doctor if your symptoms don't begin to improve outside of the recommended isolation period.
As for timing, symptoms can last for several days, but in some cases, even longer.
"Some people who have been infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 can experience long-term effects from their infection, known as Long COVID or Post-COVID Conditions (PCC)," according to the CDC.
Such symptoms can last for weeks and possibly even years.
Can you still get free COVID tests?
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, the federal ICATT program offers no-cost COVID-19 testing for uninsured people: here is a locator that folks can use to find places near them.
Dr. Mary Hayden, director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Rush University System for Health, also noted that free options remain available for those who are uninsured through local health departments and community health clinics.
