The COVID-19 strain “Lambda” appeared! Swept about 30 countries and regions!

The COVID-19 strain “Lambda” appeared! Swept about 30 countries and regions! 

According to CNN, with the spread of  COVID-19, there have been cases of infection with the “lambda” strain in the United States. This mutant strain was first discovered in Peru in August last year. At present, 1,060 cases caused by the “lambda” strain have been detected in the United States, and the Japanese government has also reported it.

According to reports, although the number of confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia infected with the “lambda” strain in the United States is much less than the number of cases infected with the delta mutant strain, some infectious disease experts say that the “lambda” strain is also They are paying close attention to a mutant strain. Marani, an expert at the American Academy of Infectious Diseases, said that it is still difficult to determine how infectious this strain is.

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare also reported a few days ago that the country’s first confirmed case of new coronary pneumonia infected with the “lambda” strain. It is reported that on July 20, the infected person flew from Peru to Japan’s Haneda Airport and was diagnosed with new crown pneumonia during entry quarantine. After genetic analysis, it was determined that the infection was the “lambda” mutant strain. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare stated that it is still analyzing the variant strain.

In addition to the United States and Japan, according to the data of the WHO in July this year: Since it was first discovered in Peru in August last year, the “lamda” strain has appeared in about 30 countries and regions, especially in Chile, Peru, Dissemination has accelerated significantly in South American countries such as Ecuador. Among them, Chile has the largest number of infections with this strain, accounting for 31% of the total number of such cases in the WHO’s control. Data from the Public Health Agency of England in July this year also showed that in addition to South America, countries and regions such as the United States, Canada, Germany, Spain, Israel, the United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe have also reported cases of infection with the “lambda” strain.

WHO: “Lambda” is one of the mutant viruses that “need attention”

The “Lambda” strain is spreading in many places around the world. How did the name “Lambda” come from, and how infectious is it?

The World Health Organization issued a report on June 14 this year, naming the C.37 strain first discovered in Peru with the Greek letter λ (lamda), and listed it as one of the mutant viruses that “need attention”. According to WHO’s standards, if the spread of mutant viruses that “need attention” is further accelerated to a certain degree, if existing epidemic prevention measures need to be adjusted for this purpose, they will be upgraded to mutant viruses that “need attention”.

According to the report, there are several genetic mutations in the spike protein of the “lambda” strain, which are potentially more infectious and more resistant to neutralizing antibodies. However, the evidence currently available is not sufficient to confirm all of these mutations. Influence. For this strain, further research is needed to determine the necessary countermeasures.

Variant strains of new coronavirus in development

Since the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, a variety of mutant strains have appeared, making the situation of epidemic prevention and control in various countries more complicated. What are the characteristics of these mutant strains, and will they mutate again?

In order to facilitate public discussion and prevent the stigmatization of the place of discovery, the WHO decided in May this year to name the new coronavirus variants with Greek letters. As of now, the WHO has listed four “variants of concern” on its official website: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta.

The alpha strain was first discovered in the UK in September last year and swept the UK by the end of the year. In April of this year, it became the world’s main mutant strain. A key mutation of the alpha strain is that it becomes easier to bind to the cell surface, thereby entering the cell to replicate itself, which also makes the virus infectivity significantly increased

The beta strain was first discovered in South Africa in May last year. There are currently more than 100 countries around the world with related cases, but this strain now accounts for a relatively low proportion of global infections. The gamma strain was first discovered in Brazil in November last year and is the main new coronavirus strain in the South American epidemic. The key mutation of the beta and gamma strains lies in a certain degree of immune escape, which can avoid tracking by the immune system. This also means that these two strains will reduce the effectiveness of some therapies. The protection of the new crown vaccine is weakened, and people who have been infected with the new crown virus are more likely to be infected again.

The delta strain, which is currently rapidly spreading, was first discovered in India in October last year. It has mutations that increase infectivity and immune escape, so it was originally called a “double mutant” strain. Studies have shown that the infectivity of the alpha strain is 50% higher than that of the original strain, while the infectivity of the delta strain is 60% higher than that of the alpha strain.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the delta strain is as highly infectious as the varicella virus, and is more infectious than SARS, variola virus, seasonal influenza and other viruses. Every person infected with the delta strain can infect an average of 8 to 8 9 people.

The WHO predicted at the end of July that the delta strain will soon surpass other mutant strains and become the most prevalent strain in the world in the next few months.
In addition to the four “variable strains of concern”, WHO also listed four sub-level “variant strains of concern”. Among them, the “Lambda” strain, which was originally discovered in Peru in December last year, has recently spread.