Lambda, a variant of interest
- Posted By
10Pointer
- Categories
Science & Technology
- Published
8th Jul, 2021
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Context
World Health Organization (WHO) designated the ‘Lambda variant’ as the seventh and newest “variant of interest”, meaning it was something to watch out for.
About the Lambda Variant
- This new emerging threat was previously known by its formal scientific name 37.
- The Lambda variant has at least seven significant mutations in the spike protein (the Delta variant has three).
Concerns over the Lambda variant
- Enhanced resistance: It has the possibility of increased transmissibility or enhanced resistance to antibodies, created either through natural infection or vaccination.
- Greater infectivity: Lambda variant had greater infectivity than the Alpha and Gamma variants (known to have originated in the UK and Brazil respectively).
- Ineffective vaccines: It also showed decreased effectiveness of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine (Coronavac) against the Lambda variant.
Reason for the designation as a “variant of interest”
- It is an acknowledgment of the fact that the variant has caused significant community transmission in multiple countries and population groups.
Classification of Variants
In collaboration with a SARS-CoV-2 Interagency Group (SIG), the CDC established 3 classifications for the SARS-CoV-2 variants:
- Variant of Interest (VOI): It is a variant with specific genetic markers that have been associated with changes to receptor binding, reduced neutralization by antibodies generated against previous infection or vaccination, reduced efficacy of treatments, potential diagnostic impact, or predicted increase in transmissibility or disease severity.
- A variant of Concern (VOC): A variant for which there is evidence of an increase in transmissibility, more severe disease (e.g., increased hospitalizations or deaths), a significant reduction in neutralization by antibodies generated during previous infection or vaccination, reduced effectiveness of treatments or vaccines, or diagnostic detection failures.
- A variant of High Consequence (VOHC): A variant of high consequence has clear evidence that prevention measures or medical countermeasures (MCMs) have significantly reduced effectiveness relative to previously circulating variants.
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