Covid19 Update: New Lambda Variant Is Possibly More Transmissible

Wednesday, July 07, 2021 at 10:28 AM by Reeshni Chetty

The Covid-19 Lambda variant could possibly be more transmissible than previous variants of the virus, according to medical studies
Reports state that the variant has reached more than 30 countries around the world, one of them being Egypt
Thankfully, the Lambda variant has not yet been detected in South Africa and the country is still battling the Delta variant

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The Covid-19 Lambda variant has been making its way around countless countries across the globe but, according to reports, it has not yet been detected in South Africa. A presentation was delivered to the National Coronavirus Control Council (NCCC) on Tuesday.

In the presentation, Professor Tulio de Oliveira and Dr Richard Lessell from the Network for Genomic Surveillance South Africa (NGS-SA) stated that the variant had already been detected in one country on the African continent.

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The C.37, aka Lambda variant was first detected in Peru last December and has since made its way to 30 other countries, including Egypt.

Covid19, Lambda variant, 30 countries, Egypt, not South Africa yet — The powerful Lambda Covid-19 variant has been found in 30 different countries including Egypt in Africa. Image: Sharon Seretlo/Gallo Images
Source: Getty Images

IOL reported that Public Health England (PHE) stated that at the moment there is no evidence that the Lambda variant causes any symptoms that are more severe nor does it render the current vaccines being deployed any less effective.

A report by TimesLIVE stated that the Lambda variant is possibly even more transmissible than the Delta variant of the virus. The World Health Organizatiton has referred to Lambda as a 'variant of interest' rather than one of concern. However, this may change soon as scientists have been more than alarmed by the variant's unusual mutations.

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