Lambda Covid variant shows vaccine resistance
The researchers warned that with Lambda being labelled a "Variant of Interest" by the World Health Organization, rather than a "Variant of Concern," people might not realize it is a serious ongoing threat
Researchers at Japan's University of Tokyo have warned that the Lambda variant of Covid-19 might be more resistant to vaccines and is highly infectious.
The study published on 28 July is yet to be peer-reviewed, Newsweek reported.
In laboratory experiments, they found that three mutations in Lambda's spike protein, known as RSYLTPGD246-253N, 260 L452Q and F490S, help it resist neutralization by vaccine-induced antibodies.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
According to them, it makes the strain more resistant to vaccines than the original Covid-19 strain first identified in Wuhan, China.
Besides, two additional mutations, T76I and L452Q, help make Lambda highly infectious
In a paper posted on Wednesday on bioRxiv ahead of peer review, the researchers warned that with Lambda being labelled a "Variant of Interest" by the World Health Organization, rather than a "Variant of Concern," people might not realize it is a serious ongoing threat.
The researchers write: "Because the Lambda variant is a VOI, it might be considered that this variant is not an ongoing threat compared to the pandemic VOCs."
"However, because the Lambda variant is relatively resistant to the vaccine-induced antisera, it might be possible that this variant is feasible to cause breakthrough infection," the paper says.
"Vaccine-induced antisera" refers to the antibodies that arise from vaccination.
Lambda, which is also known as the C.37 variant, is responsible for 1,037 cases of Covid-19 in the US, according to data from the GISAID Initiative, which promotes the rapid sharing of information about influenza and coronaviruses.
The variant was first surfaced in Peru in August 2020, but it has since spread to over 29 countries.
Senior researcher Kei Sato told Reuters: "Lambda can be a potential threat to the human society," echoing the language of the paper he co-authored, which called Lambda and three other VOIs "potential threats" to society. Those three other variants are Eta, Iota and Kappa.
Dr. Pablo Tsukayama, a molecular microbiologist at Cayetano Heredia University in Lima, Peru, and one of the people who helped document Lambda, told Al Jazeera on July 27: "When we found it, it did not attract much attention."
"But we continued processing samples, and by March, it was in 50 percent of the samples in Lima. By April, it was in 80 percent of the samples in Peru," he said.
"That jump from one to 50 percent is an early indicator of a more transmissible variant," Tsukayama added.
