The Delta variant, which first appeared in India, has been spreading rampantly through much of the world. Developing and rich countries alike have not escaped its wrath, although vaccination rates remain pitifully low in much of the former, raising fears of overwhelmed healthcare systems. While this is all happening, a new variant has been spreading like wildfire.
As the MailOnline reports, the new strain has creeped into Australia, which has historically remain unscathed from the coronavirus due to stringent border controls.
However, the country has low vaccination rates, making it uniquely vulnerable to new variants.
The Lambda strain is on the World Health Organization’s radar. It has so fa been spotted in at least 30 countries already, including Britain.
It is thought to have hatched in Peru, accounting for almost 81 percent of the country’s caseload since April.
Doctors in the South American nation fear is more transmissible than any other variants, based on how quickly it has spread in the country over the past four months.
Professor Pablo Tsukayama, Cayetano Heredia University, said the strain has “exploded” in Peru, with the new variant responsible for 82 percent of current cases.
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He told the Financial Times that it made up just one in every 200 samples back in December, when it was first detected.
“That would suggest its rate of transmission is higher than any other variant,” Professor Tsukayama said.
The strain, also known to scientists as C.37, was marked as a “variant of interest” by the WHO last month because of its high transmissibility.
However, the jury is currently out on whether it will overtake the Delta variant.
Coronavirus-tracking researchers have yet to establish the virus is any more transmissible than existing strains.
Nonetheless, the variant’s rapid spread is concerning, particularly in regions with low vaccination rates.
Source: Daily Express
