It’s the latest variant to be flagged by the World Health Organisation and now, the Lambda variant is in the UK.
The variant, which was first detected in Peru in August 2020, has been detected eight times in the UK – all in England – according to the latest Public Health England (PHE) data.
The variant is known to be in at least 29 countries around the world, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), and has now been designated a “variant under investigation” in the UK.
Here’s what you need to know about it.
What is the Lambda variant?
The Lambda variant, also called C.37, has been designated a variant under investigation (VUI) due to a rise in international cases and questions about its transmissibility. It’s been in the news because the variant is now widespread across South American countries and parts of the USA.
The variant was first detected in Peru in August 2020 and quickly spread – more than 80% of Covid cases since April 2021 were associated with Lambda, according to a WHO report from June.
“Argentina reported increasing prevalence of Lambda since the third week of February 2021, and between 2 April and 19 May 2021, the variant accounted for 37% of the COVID-19 cases sequenced,” the report continued.
“In Chile, prevalence of Lambda has increased over time, accounting for 32% of sequenced cases reported in the last 60 days – co-circulating at similar rates to variant Gamma (33%), but outcompeting variant Alpha (4%) over the same period.”
How concerning is this in the UK?
Obviously, any new variant is concerning, but at the moment, Lambda is certainly not our biggest problem.
The variant has been designated a “variant under investigation” by Public Health England – which essentially means it’s on a watch list and is being looked into. This is not the same as it being a “variant of concern” (VOC).
Current variants of concern in the UK include the Alpha variant (first detected in Kent, UK), the Beta variant (first detected in South Africa) and the Delta variant (first detected in India).
The latter, Delta variant is currently the bigger problem to the UK. More than 161,000 cases of the Delta variant have been detected – and infections are rapidly rising week-on-week. At just eight cases, the Lambda variant pales in comparison.
How infectious is the Lambda variant?
Lambda could be more transmissible than other Covid variants. It “carries a number of mutations with suspected phenotypic implications, such as a potential increased transmissibility or possible increased resistance to neutralizing antibodies,” according to a June report by Public Health England.
However, the report noted “limited evidence” on the variant’s impact and said more robust studies were needed. It also called on further investigations into how the variant may interact with coronavirus vaccines.