KP.3, the newest COVID-19 variant is in Indiana. Here’s what to know.

On Jul 17, 2024

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COVID-19 infections are on the rise in a majority of the United States, including Indiana, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The leading variant is the newest one known as KP.3.

Here’s what we know.

According to the Indiana Health Department, there have been 125 emergency department visits for COVID-like illness and four hospitalizations for COVID-19 over the last seven days. There have been no deaths.

In Region 5 — which includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin — the KP.3 variant led the way with 21.5% of infections attributable to this strain of the virus.

And, the local data reflects the national numbers.

Cases of KP.3 are on the rise nationwide

The CDC’s COVID-19 Data Tracker shows the projections of the COVID-19 variants. Since May, the prevalence of JN.1 has steadily declined while cases of KP.3 and KP.2 have increased. For a two-week period, beginning on June 22, 2024 and ending on July 6, 2024, the leading variant in the country was KP.3, accounting for 31.3% of infections.

According to CDC spokesperson Rosa Norman, KP.3 evolved from JN.1, which was the major viral lineage circulating since December 2023.

“Estimates predict that KP.3 is the dominant SARS-CoV-2 variant making up 31.2 to 43% of viruses nationally,” Norman told USA TODAY in a statement. “KP.3 is projected to continue increasing as proportions of the variants that cause COVID-19.”

As previously reported by USA TODAY, the CDC has not said if KP.3 has its own specific symptoms. Norman said the symptoms associated with KP.3 are similar to those from JN.1.

According to the CDC, symptoms of COVID-19 may appear 2-14 days after being exposed to the virus. Possible symptoms of COVID-19 range from mild to severe and can include the following:

Fever or chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fatigue
Muscle or body aches
Headache
New loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea

The CDC recommends seeking emergency medical attention if one experiences the following symptoms:

Trouble breathing
Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
New confusion
Inability to wake or stay awake
Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone

Should I get an updated COVID-19 booster?

The CDC also recommended earlier this month that almost everyone over the age of six months get updated COVID and flu shots ahead of the fall and winter virus season.

For more information on updated vaccines, see the article below.

More: CDC recommends updated COVID-19 and flu vaccinations ahead of fall and winter virus season

Ahjané Forbes covers trending news for USA TODAY. Diana Leyva covers trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Katie Wiseman is a trending news intern at IndyStar.