TEHRAN –Cases of the new COVID variant, called KP.3, are reported in the country, but no severe cases have been detected so far, an official with the health ministry has said.

The new strain is rising in Europe and Iran. However, there has been no report of severe cases, ISNA quoted Behnam Arshi as saying.

KP.3 accounts for 25 percent of COVID cases in the U.S. and is now the dominant variant. 

It is a sublineage of the JN.1 lineage which comes from the Omicron variant; it only has two changes in spike compared to JN.1.

The symptoms associated with KP.3 are mild similar to those from cold.

With the Paris 2024 Olympic games, a resurgence in COVID-19 cases is expected, the official said.

At least 10 athletes competing at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics — including swimmers from multiple countries and five Australian water polo players — have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last week. The uptick in cases has raised questions about the measures in place to stop the spread of COVID at the Olympics.

This year's Games are considered the first post-pandemic Olympics. Unlike the postponed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, and the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, there are no strict protocols or restrictions around COVID-19 in Paris.

However, COVID-19 is still spreading around the world. The United States is facing a summer wave, and the virus is also spreading in Europe, including in the Olympic Village.

MT/MG