# Respiratory variants & flu — PENDING
id respiratory · Global Health · horizon acute · checked — · at this level since — · stale after —
Assessed by an AI model (Anthropic Claude) against published rubrics; not a forecast or advice · CC BY 4.0 · https://canary.danleech.com/s/respiratory

Not assessed yet; the next scheduled run will rate it.

Why it matters: Known viruses change; a new COVID-19 variant or a severe flu strain can strain health systems without being 'novel'.
What moves it: Viral evolution, waning immunity, seasonal patterns, vaccine match.

Rubric — Alert: WHO designates a variant of concern, or flu or COVID-19 hospitalisations strain several countries' health systems. | Watch: WHO designates a new variant of interest, or a hemisphere's flu season is unusually early or severe. | Normal: No WHO variant of interest rising fast; flu seasons of normal severity.