@kimlockhartga@currentbias afaik, group A is and always has been very common. Seems like the word 'invasive' is being misconstrued by those reporting on this -- it doesn't indicate anything unique about the virus, but that an infection has progressed beyond the most common strep throat / impetigo presentations, gotten past the immune system and into the blood/organs where it can wreak havoc like septicemia, TSS, pneumonia, etc. This would be highly comorbid with impairment of the immune system, as is often seen post virally. For an intracellular pathogen like strep A to go rogue like this, it could indicate exhaustion or destruction of the CD8 T cell population. Not good.