A new study shows that this mutation is highly infectious and significantly more resistant to vaccines than the original strain of the virus discovered in Wuhan, China.
The World Health Organization (WHO) does not consider the Peruvian mutation as dangerous as, for example, British Alpha or Indian Delta, which it classifies as “mutations of concern.”
According to the WHO, lambda belongs to the group of ‘variants of serious concern.’ However, the Japanese scientists warn against such a label in their paper and do not recommend that countries underestimate the mutation from South America. “Lambda may be a potential threat to human society,” said lead researcher Kei Sato of the University of Tokyo.
Czech Health Minister Adam Vojtěch (ANO) also commented on the mutation. “The delta and lambda variants may once again mean the rise of a pandemic in our country,” he warned in July. But according to the epidemiologist and former head of the health ministry, Roman Prymula, it is not yet clear whether lambda causes any clinically serious manifestations of the disease.
Moreover, almost half of the Czech population has already been vaccinated with the second dose of the vaccine. However, the Czech Republic lags behind most EU countries in this respect.