Lambda Threatens To Reignite Pandemic: Here's All You Need To Know About Latest Covid Variant

A new coronavirus variant, Lambda, has emerged. Scientists and experts see the latest variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 as a fresh threat to the gains made over the last year or so.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Lambda as a "variant of interest" on June 14. However, according to WHO, the first case of this variant, earlier known as C.37, was reported in December 2020.

The fresh COVID-19 strain called 'Lambda' is much more dangerous than the Delta variant, said the UK Health Ministry adding that it has been detected in more than 30 countries in the past four weeks, including the UK itself.

Covid-19 variant | Photo: Reuters/Representational image

"More infectious"

On Monday, the UK Health Ministry reported that the Lambda strain had now been detected in the United Kingdom. Six cases of Lambda have been identified in the UK till date, and all have been linked to overseas travel, the UK ministry said.

Reuters

However, the researchers are worried that this variant found to be in over 30 countries, may be "more infectious than the Delta variant", The Star reported.

Lambda in India

The Lambda variant has not yet been found in the Indian population, but has recently been detected in the UK and other European countries.

Speaking to ANI, Dr Pragya Yadav, head of the National Institute of Virology's Maximum Containment Facility said, "The number of cases reported from this variant is increasing in different countries, indicating it to be highly transmissible. A recent study revealed that the lambda variant is susceptible to mRNA vaccine-elicited antibodies and convalescent serum was able to neutralize the lambda variant."

A doctor attends to a baby who tested positive for Covid-19 coronavirus at a hospital | Photo: AFP/Representational image

Asked if the variant has been reported in India, Dr Yadav said, "No, so far India has not reported any case of lambda variant."

Originated in Peru

The strain was first identified in Peru in December last year. Lambda is the dominant variant in the South American country and accounts for nearly 82 percent of the coronavirus case samples reported during May and June in Peru, Euro News reported citing the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO).

Recently, Public Health England in the UK reported a handful of cases caused by Lambda had been detected in the country and recognised it as having "a potential increased transmissibility or possible increased resistance to neutralizing antibodies".

TNN

The lambda variant is usually associated with higher transmissibility and resistance to antibodies, but health experts have said that more data is needed to firmly establish this fact.

In case of vaccines too, an early study in Peru claim that the lambda variant is able to easily escape the antibodies generated by CoronaVac vaccine developed by China. However, the study is yet to be peer reviewed.

Other 'variants of interest'

The World Health Organization (WHO), too, has designated lambda as 'variant of interest'. The WHO website had earlier also listed Eta (B.1.525), Iota (B.1.526) and Kappa (B.1.617.1) as other variants of interest.

Despite emerging in South America and spreading across 30 countries, lambda has not been declared a variant of interest by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).