The COVID-19 KP.2 sub-variant is quickly replacing JN.1, the dominant sub-variant in Thailand since late last year.
Currently available vaccines, which were developed to deal with the XBB.1.5 sub-variant, are ineffective against KP.2, according to Dr Yong Poovorawan, head of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University, on his Facebook page today.
He said the KP.2 sub-variant, or FLi RT, is a mutation of the JN.1 variant and is more easily transmissible and more capable of evading the immune system, but its symptoms are no more severe than the JN.1 variant.
He anticipates that the KP.2 sub-variant will soon become dominant in Thailand.
He also said that the World Health Organisation has already advised vaccine producers to modify their vaccines to cope with the JN.1 sub-variant, but the virus has already mutated to KP.2 and it is not possible for the vaccine producers to keep pace with the current speed of virus mutations.
