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    Home > Medical News > Latest Medical News > New crown virus "alien" army struck Lambda strain causing concern

    New crown virus "alien" army struck Lambda strain causing concern

    • Last Update: 2021-09-03
    • Source: Internet
    • Author: User
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    Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, August 20th.


    Xinhua News Agency reporter Huang Shunda Chen Yao

    While the delta strain of the mutant new coronavirus is spreading rapidly, the “exposure rate” of another mutant strain, Lambda, is increasing day by day, and related news such as “ravaging South America”, “a thousand cases in the United States”, and “Japan’s recruitment” have attracted attention.


    Multinational discovery

    Multinational discovery

    The Lambda strain is a variant of the new crown virus.


    According to data from the Global Influenza Shared Database (GISAID), there are currently at least 30 countries and regions with lambda strain infections, and the number of infections is higher in South American countries


    Official data from Peru show that among the new confirmed cases of new crowns in the country, the proportion of lambda strains has been as high as 81%


    In other South American countries such as Argentina and Chile, the lambda strain is the second most prevalent strain after the gamma strain, posing challenges to epidemic prevention and control


    The WHO report pointed out that since late February this year, the spread of the lambda strain has accelerated in Argentina, and the proportion of patients infected with the lambda strain once reached 37% of the new crown patients


    The Chilean Ministry of Health recently conducted genetic sequencing on more than 4,000 samples of cases, and the results showed that the percentage of infections with the lambda strain dropped to 23%, but it is still the second most prevalent strain in the country


    According to statistics from the Global Influenza Shared Database, as of early August, more than 1,000 cases of lambda strain infection have been detected in the United States through genetic sequencing


    Harm to be tested

    Harm to be tested

    Before Delta left, Lambda came again, causing concern


    The WHO released a report in June that there are multiple mutations in the spike protein of the lambda strain, which may cause it to have greater transmission and resistance to neutralizing antibodies than the original strain


    However, Sylvan Aldigieri, head of new crown affairs at the Pan American Health Organization under the WHO, said that the transmission data of the lambda strain is not yet complete, so it is difficult to compare it with delta, gamma, etc.


    As for whether the vaccine is still effective against the lambda strain, Mexican virologist Susanna Lopez is cautiously optimistic


    Still need to be vigilant

    Still need to be vigilant

    Thanks to large-scale vaccination, the current epidemic in some Latin American countries has slowed down, but experts believe that relaxation of vigilance may cause the epidemic to come back


    Lopez said that vaccination can effectively prevent severe infection, but it does not mean that you will not be infected with the virus


    Sergio Vechinger, a biomedical expert at the University of Chile, also pointed out that in Chile, mass vaccination has begun to work, and the epidemic is weakening
    .
    "But this kind of improvement is fragile and may be easily broken by the emergence of mutant viruses
    .
    "

    Experts from the Chilean Ministry of Health predict that mutated strains such as Delta and Lambda will accelerate in October, so measures such as testing and quarantine must be strengthened
    .

    Peru’s Health Minister Ceballos stated that the government has decided to step up testing for the Delta strain in response to the third wave of the epidemic that may be experienced in the next few months
    .

    Facing the infestation of mutant viruses, Zhao Lei, an expert from Union Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, reminded that people in various countries should also pay attention to wearing masks and maintaining social distance while vaccinating as much as possible.
    These are all necessary and necessary to deal with mutant viruses.
    Effective way
    .

    "Mutated viruses will continue to exist.
    The key is to reduce the number of cases, thereby reducing the chances of virus replication and mutation.
    Therefore, widespread vaccination and compliance with prevention and control measures are still the key to controlling the epidemic
    .
    " Zhao Lei said
    .
    (Participating reporters: Hao Yunfu, Ni Ruijie, Wu Hao, Zhu Yubo)

    Focus on the new crown pneumonia epidemic
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