COVID-19 strain ‘Lambda’ is turning out to be deadlier than the Delta variant, according to health ministry of Malaysia.
The variant was first detected in Peru and accounts for nearly 82% of coronavirus case samples reported during May and June in Peru. The strain also accounts for over 31% of the samples taken from the neighbouring Chile between May and June, according to Euro News.
“The Lambda strain was reported to have originated from Peru, the country with the highest mortality rate in the world,” the Malaysian health ministry tweeted on Monday.
Lambda variant was first reported from Peru, in December 2020.
Now, the variant has been detected in more than 30 countries.
However, the researchers are worried that this variant may be “more infectious than the Delta variant”, The Star reported.
According to Hindustan Times, the World Health Organization (WHO) has already designated Lambda as ‘variant of interest’ due to its elevated presence in South America. WHO said that lambda shows increased transmission and resistance to antibodies.
The Malaysian Health Ministry also linked to report by Australian news portal news.com.au saying the Lambda strain had been detected in the United Kingdom.
The portal reported that six cases of the Lambda strain have been detected in the UK to date.
Meanwhile, Public Health England (PHE) has added Lambda to its list of variants under investigation due to international expansion and several notable mutations, including L452Q and F490S.
As per UK health officials, there is currently no evidence that this variant causes more severe disease or renders the vaccines currently deployed any less effective. But PHE said it is carrying out laboratory testing to better understand the impact of mutations on the behaviour of the virus.
As per reports, Lambda variant has not been reported in India so far.
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