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Summary
- The lambda variant of the novel coronavirus originated in Peru, South America, and has spread to 30 countries so far.
- On 14 June 2021, the WHO had declared the lambda strain as a variant of interest. However, the research is still going on.
- The lambda COVID-19 variant is more contagious than other strains and might be immune to the available vaccines.
While some countries are still grappling with the second wave of COVID-19, the emerging new and more contagious strains of novel coronavirus are creating havoc worldwide. Recently, a variant of coronavirus, called lambda, has been identified and has left researchers from the World Health Organization (WHO) mystified by spotting its unusual set of mutations.
Amid the rising concerns of delta and delta plus, the potentially more dangerous variant, first identified in Peru, is a big threat to the entire world. The WHO specified that more research is required to find out more details about the new strain.
On 14 June, the WHO declared the lambda strain as a variant of interest. However, the US has not designated this strain as a variant of interest, and the study is ongoing.
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According to the international agency, the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes the COVID-19 pandemic, has evolved over time. Some of these changes impact the virus’ properties, including how easily it can spread, the severity of the disease, or the performance of vaccines and therapeutic medicines against the virus. Furthermore, the body has established a network of health specialists worldwide to monitor and assess the evolution of novel coronavirus.
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Six cases of lambda variant identified in the UK
According to Public Health England, the lambda variant is already in the UK and has confirmed six cases, five of whom had travelled abroad. In the last four weeks, this C.37 strain has spread to approximately 30 nations. The new lambda variant is found in Argentina, Australia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, and other nations.
India witnessed a devastating wave of COVID-19 in March and April 2021, led by the delta variant, which is about 60% faster than the original alpha strain. However, so far in India, no cases of lambda variants have been detected.
Moreover, few cases of lambda variant were recently identified in Canada. On 8 July 2021, Health Canada confirmed there had been 11 cases so far. However, the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec highlighted that it had already confirmed 27 cases in March and April.
The Public Health Agency is observing the Lambda variant to determine how the virus spreads and how it responds to vaccines.
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Highly contagious variant – lambda
The new lambda variant is more contagious than other strains of novel coronavirus. Besides, researchers are concerned that a highly contagious new COVID-19 strain devastating Peru might be immune to the vaccines. According to the WHO, the strain has witnessed various changes that could have resulted in greater transmissibility or resistance to neutralising antibodies. In addition, the spike protein, which lambda variant used to infect human cells, has a unique pattern of other mutations.
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The lambda variant (C.37 strain) was first detected in December 2020 in Peru, accounting for less than 1% of all new cases. However, as per a Financial Times study, this variant currently accounts for ~80% of new infections in Peru. The variant has spread to over 27 countries in the last month.
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According to some media reports, a recent study in Chile stated that the lambda or C.37 variant had more infectivity than the alpha and gamma variants (originated in the UK and Brazil, respectively). Besides, the study also reported reduced efficacy of CoronaVac, a Chinese vaccine developed by Sinovac, against the lambda strain.
