How Dangerous Is The Lambda COVID-19 Strain? Here's What We Know So Far

Lambda COVID-19 danger: A new COVID-19 strain called Lambda has been detected in Peru, South America. First found in August 2020, the variant now accounts for about 81 per cent of the cases registered since April in the country.

On Thursday, June 17, the WHO stated that it has been found in 29 countries so far. It is believed that the variant originated in South America and is prevalent there. Due to its widespread nature, it has been termed as a 'variant of interest'.

Lambda COVID-19 danger: How dangerous is the new strain?

Coronavirus variants are categorised under two heads: Variants of interest and variants of concern. Variants of concern have the potential to cause epidemiological problems. Though placed under the group of 'variants of interest', the WHO stated that it will closely monitor the strain. The strain consists of mutations in the spike protein that can increase its transmissibility or strengthen its resistance to antibodies. So far, only limited information is available regarding the danger it poses and further research is needed to understand its characteristics, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove said.

Presence of Lambda strain

Due to the increased genomic surveillance, the Lambda variant of Coronavirus has been found in the South American countries Chile, Argentina and Ecuador besides Peru. In Chile, it accounts for 32 per cent of all submitted sequences in the preceding 60 days.

What other COVID-19 variants have been detected so far?

The United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has classified the Delta-19 Coronavirus strain as a 'variant of concern'. It was first detected in India. It accounts for about 9.9 per cent of all COVID-19 cases reported in the US. Earlier seen as a 'variant of interest', it was placed under the 'variant of concern' category on May 10 because of its high transmissibility and other factors.  Some other Coronavirus variants of concern include B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta), P.1 (Gamma), B.1.427 (Epsilon), B.1.429 (Epsilon).