Lambda variant of COVID found in 29 countries including the U.S.

• The coronavirus strain known as Lambda first surfaced in August of 2020 in Peru.

• Also known as C.37, it has now spread to 29 countries including the U.S.

• Lambda is responsible for 90% of new COVID cases in Peru

Though the Delta variant is making more news headlines, another Coronavirus strain has spread to 29 countries, including the U.S., England, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Mexico, Spain, and Germany.

Lambda first surfaced in August of 2020 in Peru, entered the U.S. in January of this year, and as of July 16th, accounts for 528 documented COVID cases in the U.S. Also known as C.37, it has been labeled as a “variant of interest” (VOI) by WHO.

How concerned should you be about Lambda?

Lambda’s genetic makeup and the speed at which the variant is spreading around the world convinced WHO to recognize it as a potential threat; even if it’s not quite a “variant of concern” (VOC),  which is the threat level above VOI.

WHO believes Lambda may exhibit “genetic changes that are predicted or known to affect virus characteristics such as transmissibility, disease severity, immune escape, diagnostic or therapeutic escape.”

Currently, evidence indicating Lambda as a deadlier COVID variant is circumstantial. In Peru, it accounts for 90% of new COVID cases resulting in record coronavirus hospitalizations and deaths. But there’s a myriad of factors to consider.

One recent study published in the bioRxiv journal suggested that Lambda is more transmissible than previously documented strains. However, the same paper determined that vaccinated populations need not worry.

Much like the Delta strain, Lambda’s current status — as an emerging risk to global health — affects vaccine roll out more than the potency of the mutation itself.

What the new COVID strains mean for U.S. recovery

Health experts often stress the importance of interpretation when assessing new coronavirus mutations.

“Viruses mutate to survive,” said OMRF immunologist Eliza Chakravarty, M.D. “Becoming more transmissible is helpful from an evolutionary perspective. But with vaccines, we can mount a defense we didn’t have last year.”

So far, the Delta variant has triggered the most alarm among experts but even its transmissibility is greatly reduced by vaccines.

“If you’re vaccinated, we’re on the cusp of returning to regular life,” explained OMRF physician-scientist Hal Scofield, M.D. “But if you’re sick with symptoms such as coughing, fever, and difficulty breathing, you still need a COVID test.”

WHO and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are set to make a final decision on the role booster shots will play in suppressing emerging COVID variants in the coming months.