SARS-CoV-2 Lambda variant

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The Lambda variant, also known as lineage C.37, is a version of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. It was first detected in Peru in August 2020. The World Health Organization named it the Lambda variant on June 14, 2021 and classified it as a variant of interest. On March 16, 2022, the WHO downgraded it to “previously circulating variants of concern.” Lambda has spread to at least 30 countries and appears to be more resistant to neutralizing antibodies than many other strains. It may be more infectious and less responsive to vaccines than the Alpha or Gamma variants.

Lambda carries several changes in its spike protein: G75V, T76I, Δ246-252, L452Q, F490S, D614G, and T859N.

In Peru, Lambda was already common by early 2021: by April 2021, over 80% of new COVID-19 cases were due to Lambda. By mid-June 2021, the Peruvian Ministry of Health reported Lambda made up about 90.6% of new cases in Arequipa and 78.1% in Cusco. The variant then spread to other South American countries and was detected in 29 countries overall, especially Argentina, Chile and Ecuador.

Internationally, Lambda was first reported in Australia in July 2021 in a traveler from New South Wales, and in the United States later that month, with Texas reporting its first case on July 19, 2021 and Florida reporting 126 cumulative cases by July 22. A July 28, 2021 study from the University of Miami found Lambda in about 3% of COVID-19 patients in two Miami-area hospitals. Louisiana reported its first Lambda case on August 5, 2021. Japan confirmed its first Lambda case on August 7, 2021, linked to travel from Peru, and the Philippines reported its first case on August 15, 2021.