By Chara
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reporting an increase of COVID-19 cases this summer, multiple media outlets are reporting.
Multiple media outlets also are reporting the increases are a result of two new variants: FLiRT and LB.1. In a story posted in May and then revised in July for the Yale Medicine website, Kathy Katella reported that FLiRT strains of COVID-19 are Omicron subvariants. Omicron was first reported in late 2021, Katella stated in a 2023 post.
LB.1 is “similar to the FLiRT variants but with an additional mutation,” Katella stated. Citing estimates from CDC Nowcast, she stated LB.1 accounted for 14.9% of America’s COVID cases.
“Viruses mutate all the time, so I’m not surprised to see a new coronavirus variant taking over,” Scott Roberts, Yale Medicine infectious diseases specialist, was quoted by Katella as saying.
Health care experts advise people to get the latest COVID-19 vaccine to reduce their chances of becoming ill. Other tips include eschewing close contact with those who are ill, masking up in crowds and washing hands frequently.
For more information about the COVID-19 strains, including methods of protection, visit
Some states see increases in COVID cases, CDC reports
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reporting an increase in COVID-19 cases this summer, according to several media outlets.
The increases are also reported to be the result of two new variants: FLiRT and LB.1. In a story published in May and then revised in July for the Yale Medicine website, Kathy Katella reported that the FLiRT strains of COVID-19 are subvariants of Omicron. Omicron was first reported in late 2021, Katella said in a 2023 post.
LB.1 is “similar to the FLiRT variants but with an additional mutation,” Katella said. Citing CDC Nowcast estimates, she said LB.1 accounted for 14.9% of COVID cases in the United States.
“Viruses mutate all the time, so I’m not surprised to see a new coronavirus variant take hold,” Scott Roberts, an infectious disease specialist at Yale Medicine, was quoted as saying by Katella.
Health care experts recommend people get the latest COVID-19 vaccine to reduce their chances of getting sick. Other tips include avoiding close contact with sick people, wearing a mask in crowds and washing hands frequently.
For more information on COVID-19 strains, including protection methods, visit
