By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The newest strain of coronavirus is running wild across the UK, but new data shows that men are more likely to get it than woman.
Despite largely being removed from the every day lives of most Brits, Covid-19 is still around and cases have shot up a lot in recent weeks thanks to a series of new strains. The KP. 3 variant, part of a new group of variants known as FLiRT, emerged in early April. 
The name of these variants was inspired by the mutations in their genetic code and they are an offshoot from JN.1 – a variant that could transmit efficiently through one or two additional mutations.
As of April 2024, three strains of the FLiRT variant have been responsible for 40% of all Covid cases in the UK, namely KP.1.1, KP.3 and KP.2, as per data from the UK Health Security Agency. KP. 2 is believed to have sparked a surge of infections in May before handing over to KP.3, which has almost doubled UK infections to 44% in less than a fortnight.
Meanwhile, KP.2’s share has dropped to 22%, yet hospital admissions increased by 24% in the week leading up to Sunday, rising from 2.67 people per 100,000 to 3.31 per 100,000, according to fresh figures from the UKHSA.
