The Lambda variant of COVID-19: answers to the most important questions

All viruses tend to mutate, especially if they manage to expand and, as such, obtain a wide field of tests in various human organisms. The same goes for COVID-19. After the Delta variant, which was a mutation of the 'original' COVID-19, there's now the Lambda variant.

The Lambda variant of COVID-19 has spread to countries such as Peru, Argentina and Chile. It has also arrived, in small numbers, in the American state of California.

The World Health Organization has called the Lambda variant a "variant of interest." This means that it may be more dangerous due to its potential contagiousness or lethality.

At the moment, it has been proven that the Lambda variant has managed to mutate to achieve greater contagion. But it doesn't seem to surpass the Delta, which is already highly contagious. Therefore, it has not made a significant qualitative leap, experts establish.

Regarding its ability to kill, scientific studies conclude (for now) that there is no increase in lethality. It remains, like other variants of COVID-19, dangerous - but not more dangerous than any of them.

As is the case with  the Delta variant, the existing COVID-19 vaccines work against the Lambda variant. At the very least, they protect against getting seriously ill even if they don't stop the contagion 100%.

At the moment, the Lambda variant has not had a global expansion like the Delta variant. No forecast can be made as to whether it will be able to travel around the planet, though.

Image: Greg Rosenke / Unsplash

In any case, the WHO points out the need to remain alert to the Lambda variant, since everything that is known about it is still too little.

Vaccination is the way to assure that the virus will have less and less moving space and opportunity to change itself. As long as the virus can travel from human organism to human organism, it will learn our defence mechanisms and will mutate to circumvent them. Scientists therefore continue their call for people to get vaccinated.

What experts have seen so far is that each variation has mutated in some of its aspects to become more contagious  but not more deadly. It is logical that a virus prefers the power of contagiousness over lethality, because no virus wants all of its hosts do die. If there are no hosts left, the virus cannot live either.

In any case, there are already countries (such as Israel) that are giving a third dose of the vaccine to vulnerable populations. Although a third dose is not scientifically proven to be more protective, some governments consider it to work as a booster.

At the moment, the Lambda variant arguably looks a lot like the Delta variant. But that is not a total reason for relief. The Delta variant, with its extremely high contagiousness, has already caused problems in many countries, generating new waves in the pandemic.

Scientists are very clear about this: As long as the world does not stop the spread of COVID 19 through vaccination or the strict use of masks (in both rich and poor countries), more variants will emerge and the return to normality will be further away.

Yes, it is likely that the pandemic will last for years, the experts have stated. It could take years to turn COVID-19 into a severe flu that does not cause mass deaths. However, the pandemic will not be as intense anymore as in the past year. Each new wave will be less destructive.

In any case, it is likely that new variants will still appear. The WHO is vigilant so that they are studied immediately.

It would also be good if a cure for COVID-19 emerged. In Israel they have discovered a drug that, in tests, cured 93% of those infected. This is a very important result, because so far, experts have struggled with the question of why some patients suffer unstoppable and deadly bilateral pneumonia after getting COVID-19.

The battle against the pandemic continues. There will likely be more new variants and successive waves of COVID-19. Experts at the WHO and in national health organizations recommend that everyone stay prudent and relies on the vaccine, which is the only effective protection against COVID-19 for the moment.