What are the characteristics of the lambda strain of the new crown mutant virus reported in many places

Popular science: from South America to Europe, what are the characteristics of the lambda strain of the new crown mutant virus reported in many places

Popularization of science: from South America to Europe, what are the characteristics of the lambda strain of the new coronavirus that has been reported in many places? Popular science: from South America to Europe, what are the characteristics of the lambda strain of the new coronavirus that has been reported in many places

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, July 14.
Recently, many countries in Europe and the United States reported that the lambda strain of the new coronavirus mutant first discovered in Peru has appeared there
.

What are the characteristics of this strain that is widespread in South America? What is the scope of influence? How should people respond?

The World Health Organization issued a report on June 14, 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 insufficient to confirm the full impact of these mutations
.

For this strain, further research is needed to determine the necessary countermeasures

The Public Health Agency of England listed the Lambda strain as a mutant virus "under investigation", saying that there is currently no evidence that it can cause more severe cases or compromise the effectiveness of existing vaccines
.

EFE recently reported that a study by the University of San Andrés in Bolivia showed that people infected with this strain will have frequent intestinal problems

The WHO said that since it was first discovered in Peru in August last year, the lambda strain has appeared in 29 countries and regions, especially in South American countries such as Chile, Peru, and 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

Peruvian official statistics show that 81% of the new confirmed cases reported in the country since April this year have been infected with the Lambda strain; Argentina reported that between April 2 and May 19 this year, the country has newly confirmed cases.
37% of the cases were infected with the lambda strain; in Chile, from mid-April to mid-June this year, the number of lambda strain infections accounted for 32% of the newly confirmed cases
.

According to data from the Public Health Agency of England, 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 lambda strain infection
.

Jones Albuquerque, a professor at the Federal University of Pernambuco in Brazil, said in a recent interview with Xinhua News Agency reporters that the hope of defeating the new crown virus and mutant strains lies in mass vaccination
.

In addition, measures such as wearing masks and maintaining social distancing are still necessary

Sumia Swaminathan, the chief scientist of the World Health Organization, has emphasized that while continuing to monitor the genetic changes of the virus, the focus should be on reducing the speed of virus transmission
.

The more the virus spreads, the greater the chance of mutation

Focus on the new crown pneumonia epidemic