The Lambda strain made its first appearance in Texas this week at Houston Methodist Hospital.
The Lambda variant, first found in Peru in December of 2020, was labeled a “variant of interest” by the World Health Organization in mid-June. Experts believe it is too early to determine if the strain will be as concerning as the Delta variant, which is considered a “variant of concern” by the WHO along with the alpha and gamma variants.
According to scientists, as reported by Yahoo!News, the strain has mutations that allow it to possibly “more easily infect lung cells.” There are only 700 recorded cases of Lambda in the US, and experts are confident the strain is not a cause for concern among the American population.
With over 80 percent of current coronavirus hospitalizations being unvaccinated individuals who have contracted the Delta strain, health officials are urging everyone to continue to get vaccinated.
“Most importantly, regardless of the variant, our best defense against all these variants is vaccination,” says Dr. S. Wesley Long, Medical Director at Houston Methodist.
As far as researchers know, both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are successful in combating all variants, including Lambda.
