Mike HoneyHere's the latest variant picture for the new "FLip" variant GK.2.
The leading countries reporting GK.2 are Spain (11%) and Italy (7%).
GK.2 is from the XBB.1.5.* "Kraken" clan; GK is an alias for XBB.1.5.70.1. XBB.1.5.70 added the adjacent Spike L455F and F456L mutations, hence the "FLip" tag. GK.2 adds the Spike V511I mutation.
Yunlong Cao explained the advantage of this pair of mutations here:
https://twitter.com/yunlong_cao/status/1687879512237993986?s=20
HT Raj Rajnarayanan (https://twitter.com/RajlabN) for the clever "FLip" tag.
Sample volumes from many countries are now very thin and patchy, leading to some variations.
Yunlong Richard Cao on X
F456L-carrying XBB*, like EG.5, is rapidly rising. Meanwhile, XBB*+L455F+F456L is also growing fast. Some updates explaining their advantages: 1) F456L evades serum neutralization, even after XBB infection. 2) L455F+F456L combo adds on evasion and could also boost ACE2 binding!