New vaccine-resistant variant of coronavirus discovered in the United States

A new mutation in the coronavirus known as the lambda variant thought to have increased resistance to vaccines has emerged in the United States. Writes about it Yahoo!.

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Also known as C.37, the lambda variant was first discovered in Peru in November 2020. Peru was one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic, with 595 COVID-19 deaths per 100 people, the highest in the world. Peru is relying heavily on a Chinese vaccine known as Sinopharm, which is 000% effective in preventing hospitalizations. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are 79% effective against hospitalization.

According to the global science initiative GISAID, the lambda variant has since spread to eight countries in South America and 41 countries around the world.

“As of August 4, 2021, the lambda variant has been detected in 44 states,” a spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently said.

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Researchers in Japan have found that the lambda variant contains three mutations in its spike proteins that make it more infectious than the original virus. Two other mutations in its spike proteins make it about 150% more resistant to antibodies produced by vaccines. The spike protein is the part of the virus that allows it to attach to a human cell.

The study has not yet been peer-reviewed.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the lambda variant as a “variant of interest,” meaning it is assumed to be either more infectious than the original strain or more capable of resisting vaccination. When there is more evidence that a variant has one of these properties, it will be reclassified as an option of concern.

Researchers in Japan are concerned that assigning a lambda variant to the variant of interest minimizes the potential threat.

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“Because the lambda variant is classified in this category, it can be considered that this variant does not pose an ongoing threat compared to other variants,” the researcher wrote. “However, because the lambda variant is relatively resistant to vaccine-induced [antibodies]. , it is possible that this variant may cause breakthrough infections.”

However, it is unlikely that the lambda variant will become as widespread as the delta variant.

The 1300 confirmed cases of the lambda variant in the United States represent less than 0,2% of new cases. By comparison, the CDC says the delta variant now accounts for 93% of new cases. So far, the CDC has not classified the lambda variant as a variant of interest or concern.

Marie Van Kerkhove, an epidemiologist who is the technical leader of the COVID-19 response team at WHO, recently said that the lambda variant does not seem to "gain traction when it is reported in any country."

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