COVID has mutated once again, with a new variant, KP.3 or FLuQE, overtaking KP.2 (FLIRT) as the dominant strain circulating Australia.
FLuQE is a mutation of the subvariants JN.1 + F456L + 0493E, and in the US, KP.3 has been responsible for more than 33% of cases according to the latest data from the CDC.
Since the start of the pandemic, more than two-thirds of Australians had been infected with COVID by the end of 2022, and in the Oceania region, Australia is once again leading New Zealand for the growth of FLuQE variants.
South Australia, Victoria, NSW and Queensland have the highest incidents of FLuQE, with WA placed fifth.
Data from WA showed that the transmission wave that occurred over late 2023 and early 2024 was also visible in the wastewater data, but less so in the number of case notifications recorded from October 2022, when mandatory reporting of rapid antigen rest results ceased.
The new variant’s spread coincides with the latest push buy the WA Government in its ‘Don’t Assume You’re Immune’ campaign to boost vaccination rates, which have fallen steadily with the rise of pandemic fatigue and vaccine hesitancy.
Only 40% of elderly Australians and 40% of aged care residents are thought to have received their updated booster shots.
Data from the US Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee on the 2024-2025 COVID vaccine formulas showed that the effectiveness of the XBB.1.5 derived vaccine decreased over 2023 -2024 with the rise of JN.1 subvariants, but still offered some protection against FluQE.
The more recently derived JN.1 serum offered significantly more protection, with the KP.2 version of the vaccine more than three times as effective at two weeks after a fourth round of COVID vaccination, in keeping with the current schedule.
Vaccine producer Novavax says it expects the commercial delivery of a protein-based JN.1 COVID vaccine (NVX-CoV2705 — an updated version of Novavax’s prototype NVX-CoV2373) — in the US in August.
The company has recently filed a type II variation of Marketing Authorization with the European Medicines Agency and other global regulatory bodies to secure authorisation for the 2024-25 season.
The vaccine is packaged as a ready-to-use liquid formulation and is stored at 2° to 8°C, enabling the use of existing vaccine supply and cold chain channels.