Concerns about COVID-19 increase due to new variants

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – There are increasing concerns about the spread of COVID-19, because of new variants of the virus.

Infectious disease experts say the spread of a new family of COVID variants known as "FLiRT" is rising in the Chicago-area.

Dr. Whitney Lyn is a family medicine specialist at Cook County Health.

She says part of the reason the "FLiRT" variants are spreading so quickly is that many people who have received COVID vaccinations have waited too long to get additional shots.

“When we look at some of the data, we see less than one in four of us adults have actually received the latest COVID shots from last fall. And so now that immunity that we all had is kind of slowly fading away.”

Dr. Lyn recommends people receive COVID vaccinations every five to six months to maintain the highest level of protection.

“A lot of people think that, ‘ok, if I have a vaccine or I got it a year ago or two years ago. I'm updated, I am safe.’ And a lot of people don't realize that the immunity for the COVID vaccine is at least about four months, maybe five months.”

She says COVID vaccinations are especially important for people 65 and older, as well as those who have medical conditions that make them more susceptible to the virus.

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