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A new alarm in the pandemic: The lambda mutation, which originated in South America, is spreading faster and faster. Is it more dangerous and do vaccines protect against this variant of the coronavirus? A new study sheds light, he says Deutsche Welle.
The lambda coronavirus mutation has been known since a year ago, but very little is known about it. Against this background, it is especially valuable the new study by Japanese scientists, according to which the spike protein of the Lambda variant itself carries three new mutations that are alarming.
Lambda: more contagious and more resistant to vaccines
One of these mutations prevents the antibodies from neutralizing the coronavirus effectively enough. In other words: the immunity of those vaccinated and those who survived Kovid-19 is lower against this modification, and vaccination provides less protection against infection.
The other two mutations make Lambda more contagious than previous variants, according to the preliminary publication of the study, which has yet to pass an independent test.
The results of the Japanese study may explain the fact that the new mutation is spreading so fast. Lambda is currently registered in at least 30 countries, mostly in South America. However, there are also cases in Europe: in Spain, Great Britain, Italy and Germany.
So far, the World Health Organization (WHO) has categorized Lambda as a “mutation that is being observed.” However, Japanese scientists believe that the WHO should transfer it to the more dangerous category: “mutation that is alarming.”
In this category was placed and The delta mutation, first discovered in India. So far, the danger of Lambda imposing itself on Delta, which currently dominates the new infections, does not seem particularly likely.
Which vaccinated are at risk?
As already mentioned, the immune protection of those vaccinated against Lambda may be weaker, but so far “vaccine breakthroughs” are relatively rare – that is, cases of infection in people with full vaccination. Such people may eventually infect others, but in themselves the infection is mild or completely asymptomatic.
However, those vaccinated whose immune systems are weaker – the elderly, people with cancer or people with organ transplants – are still at risk. In them, Lambda can cause severe disease. Therefore, it can be expected that in the autumn these people will be the first to receive a “refresh” of the vaccine.
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