00:00Well, some unfortunate health news. There is a new COVID variant taking over in the U.S.
00:05According to the CDC, the KP.3.1.1 variant has now overtaken the previous one,
00:11doubling in case numbers in just two weeks. It now accounts for one in four of all reported
00:16COVID cases, with experts saying this one is more of a challenge for our immune systems.
00:21KP3 was the previously dominant variant, with this one being a direct evolution of that one.
00:26Authorities say that early analysis shows this COVID strain appears to be more infectious than
00:31previous ones, including its progenitor. This all comes as the U.S. was already experiencing
00:37a summer wave of COVID, which Professor of Molecular Medicine Eric Topol recently warned
00:42on X for Americans to buckle up. This wave isn't over yet, due to KP.3.1.1's emergence.
00:49The CDC warned that this surge is at least partly due to COVID being spread via wastewater,
00:54with very high concentrations of the virus being found in 20 states. As a result,
00:59infections have steadily increased for weeks. However, cases which require hospitalizations
01:04are still very low. Currently, only 2.2% of COVID patients are seeking emergency medical care.
01:10Experts recommend, as always, that the best preventatives are isolation if you're sick,
01:15wearing a mask, and be sure to practice good hygiene.
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