Mutations

Explainer-What are the FLiRT COVID variants and are they more contagious? The moniker FLiRT is an acronym for the locations of the mutations the variants share on the virus' spike protein. HOW ARE THE FLIRT VARIANTS DIFFERENT FROM PREVIOUS VARIANTS? The FLiRT variants, which also include KP.2's "parental" lineage JN.1, have three key mutations on their spike protein that could help them evade antibodies, according to Johns Hopkins University. Yahoo News

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Little Chance Of Pandemic Agreement By World Health Assembly – But Charting Process For Future Is Likely - Health Policy Watch Members of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) face another sleep-deprived week as talks on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) pandemic agreement Health Policy Watch

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CDC continues to respond to the public health challenge posed by a multistate outbreak of avian influenza A(H5N1) virus, or “A(H5N1) virus,” in dairy cows and other animals in the United States. CDC is working in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), state public health and animal health officials, and other partners using a One Health approach. USDA is now reporting that 51 dairy cattle herds in nine U.S. states have confirmed cases of A(H5N1) virus infections in cattle. There have been no additional human cases detected since the one recent case from Texas was reported on April 1, 2024. ^[1][2]