Lambda COVID-19 variant and its ‘unusual mutations’: What we know so far

Lambda COVID-19 variant and its ‘unusual mutations’: What we know so far

Dubai: Scientists are puzzled by the coronavirus variant known as Lambda, which comes with reportedly "unusual mutations". Lambda was initially known as the C.37 strain first detected in Peru in December 2020. Since then, the variant has "exploded", according to a Peruvian scientist. Now, the Latin American country has the highest COVID-19 mortality rate in the world. This suggests Lambda may "more infectious than the Delta variant", that is, it has higher transmissibility, stronger binding to lung cell receptors, and resistant to neutralising antibodies. What we know so far: The World Health Organisation (WHO) classified it as a 'Variant of Interest' on June 14, 2021 after the variant has "exploded" in certain Latin American countries. It's now spread to nearly 30 countries around the world. The agency noted in a report that the Lambda variant accounts for 81% of the cases detected since April 2021 in Peru based on genome sequencing data available. Lambda has so far been detected in genome samples from at least 29 countries. Advances in genome sequencing have greatly helped in the global surveillance of genetic mutations in the SARS-CoV-2. The cost of each sequence has also come down significantly. But the science, though established and