Deadly lambda Covid variant neutralizes vaccines, a new study says

Deadly lambda Covid variant neutralizes vaccines, a new study says

As the United States struggles to suppress the fast-growing corona virus delta type, new evidence has emerged that the latest lambda mutation - destroying parts of South America - will not be slowed down by vaccines.

The July 28 report appears on bioRxiv, where it is awaiting peer review before the study is released, with researchers in Japan sounding the alarm on a C37 variant called the Lambda. And it has been proven to be as viral as Delta, a similar mutation made them more contagious.

The strain is contained in 26 countries, including significant eruptions in Chile, Peru, Argentina and Ecuador.

"Significantly, the vaccination rate in Chile is relatively high; the percentage of people who receive at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine is [approximately] 60%," the authors write.

"Nevertheless, a major COVID-19 outbreak occurred in the spring of 2021 in Chile, which suggests that the Lampta variant is effective in escaping the antiviral immunity exposed by the vaccine," they warn.

The lambda variant is thought to have appeared somewhere in South America between November and December 2020, after which a few more isolated cases in Europe, North America and Asia, according to GISAID data.

In the United States the proportion of cov- 19 cases of the lambda variant is low, which is 1% to about 911 cases. Compare that to the delta that has affected 77,692 Americans so far.

“In addition to increasing viral infection, the delta variant exhibits greater resistance to vaccine-induced neutralization,” the authors said. "Similarly, we have shown here that the lambda variant not only increases infection, but also has resistance to antiviral immunity."

The USP Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published little literature on the lambda variant, although a Covid-19 vaccine interpretation from July 27 onwards cited another preliminary study dated July 3, specifically to neutralize the lambda variant as the mRNA vaccine is considered effective.

Studies show that vaccines are effective in reducing the deadly effects of COVID-19 — and that a booster shot may be even better, prompting food and drug administration to consider giving a third vaccine dose to those with compromised immune systems.

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