4 things to know about the new COVID variants in Massachusetts including symptoms

The world has been dealing with COVID since the pandemic set in back in 2020, and while we know more about the disease, it still hasn’t gone away.

This year is no different, with new COVID variants arriving on the scene, and those variants have been taking their toll on Massachusetts residents.

Meanwhile, health officials are still advocating for staying up on vaccinations, as they say that is one of the best ways to fight the virus.

Here’s what to know about the new COVID variants.

What are the new COVID variants?

The new variants are called the FLiRT strains of the virus. There are three variants of FLiRT.

They “accounted for the majority of COVID cases in the U.S. at the beginning of July. One of them, KP.3, was responsible for 36.9% of COVID infections in the United States, KP.2 made up 24.4%, and KP.1.1 accounted for 9.2% of cases,” according to a Yale Medicine study.

There is also another new strain – not FLiRT – called “LB.1,” strain, which is similar to the FLiRT variants.

“But with an additional mutation, (LB.1) has attracted attention as well,” Yale Medicine stated. “As summer began, it was responsible for 14.9% of COVID cases.”

More: COVID-19 emergency room visits, deaths are up. Should you be worried?

Are the new FLiRT variants worse than other strains?

According to Yale Medicine, “There is no conclusive information yet about whether a COVID illness will be more severe with the new variants or how symptoms might change.”

More: COVID-19 variant KP.3 remains dominant in US, rises to 36.9% of cases: See latest CDC data

What’s the COVID situation in Massachusetts now?

The latest data from the Massachusetts Department of Health covers from June 23 to June 29. During that time, there were 1,151 confirmed cases of COVID in the state, with 99,565 for the entire spring and summer.

In that same time period, the state reported six confirmed deaths, with 985 confirmed COVID deaths for the season.

What are the best remedies for COVID?

Doctors say vaccination is still a key for defense against COVID. Other ways to defend against the disease include:

What are symptoms of the new variant?

According to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, symptoms of the new variants include:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Headache
• Muscle aches
• Difficulty breathing
• Fatigue