The subclade K variant of the influenza A (H3N2) virus was reported by the Centers for Disease Control yesterday as the dominant flu strain in many countries, adding that flu vaccines were still effective in reducing the risk of severe illness.
CDC Deputy Director-General and spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) made the remarks following recent reports in the US and European countries about the emergence of subclade K, as well as a Taiwanese travel influencer warning of the flu situation in Japan — citing data from the Japan Institute for Health Security — and saying subclade K has been detected in EU countries, the UK, the US and Canada.
The CDC’s laboratory first detected subclade K in July, she said.
Photo: Taipei Times
The percentages of it being observed in H3N2 virus samples have rapidly increased from accounting for 30.8 percent of the samples in July to 65.7 percent in August, 88.6 percent in September and 87.7 percent in October, she added.
It is estimated that subclade K accounted for more than 90 percent of the H3N2 virus samples last month and is the dominant strain circulating locally, Tseng said, adding that flu data from other countries suggested that subclade K might have higher transmissibility than previous variants.
A European Center for Disease Prevention and Control analysis showed a significant divergence of subclade K from the northern hemisphere A(H3N2) vaccine strain for the 2025-2026 flu season, she said.
There could be more breakthrough infections, which is when an infection develops from a pathogen after vaccination, this flu season, she added.
Analysis from other countries suggested that protection against “infection” provided by the flu vaccine this flu season could be less effective as subclade K dominates, Tseng said.
However, the vaccine still provides protection against “severe disease and hospitalization” after infection, she added.
While Taiwan entered a relatively early epidemic period between late September and October, cases have lessened after government-funded vaccination began on Oct 1, and the epidemic period ended early last month, Tseng said.
However, the CDC estimated that flu cases would again increase after the New Year, peaking around the Lunar New Year holidays in February next year, so people who are at higher risk of developing severe illness from infection are advised to get vaccinated as early as possible, she said.
Additional reporting by CNA
Seven of the 17 NT$10 million (US$311,604) winning receipts from the November-December uniform invoice lottery remain unclaimed as of today, the Ministry of Finance said, urging winners to redeem their prizes by May 5. The reminder comes ahead of the release of the winning numbers for the January-February lottery tomorrow. Among the unclaimed receipts was one for a NT$173 phone bill in Keelung, while others were for a NT$5,913 purchase at Costco in Taipei's Neihu District (內湖), a NT$49 purchase at a FamilyMart in New Taipei City's Tamsui District (淡水), and a NT$500 purchase at a tea shop in New Taipei City's
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
TALENT SCOUTING: The university is investing substantial funds in its future to bring in the kind of researchers that would keep the college internationally competitive National Taiwan University (NTU) plans to invest NT$2 billion (US$62.6 million) to launch two programs aimed at attracting and retaining top research talent, university president Chen Wen-chang (陳文章) said yesterday. The funding would support the “Palm Grove Scholars Project,” which targets academics aged 40 to 55. Up to 20 scholars would be selected, each receiving as much as NT$10 million annually, Chen said. The initiative is designed to attract leading researchers to Taiwan and strengthen NTU’s global competitiveness by fostering a more research-friendly environment and expanding international collaboration, he said. NTU is also introducing a “Hong Hu” chair grant, which would provide Palm
RSS