SARS-CoV-2 Lambda variant: spatiotemporal distribution and potential public health impact
Zoonoses
; 1(5):1-7, 2021.
Article
in English
| CAB Abstracts | ID: covidwho-2025741
ABSTRACT
Various SARS-CoV-2 variants have continually emerged since the summer of 2020. Recently, the spread and potential effects of the Lambda variant on public health have caused great scientific and public concern. The Lambda variant (C.37), first identified in Peru in December 2020, contains a novel deletion (?246-252) and two novel mutations, L452Q and F490S, not present in the ancestral strain and other variants. The Lambda variant was designated a variant of interest in April of 2021. By the end of July, this variant sequence was detected in more than 30 countries worldwide, mostly in South America. This study analyzed the global spatiotemporal distribution of the Lambda variant from the beginning of January to the end of July from publicly available data. The Lambda variant spread rapidly in Peru and became predominant in March. Circulation of the Lambda variant has also been observed in some neighboring countries, i.e., Argentina, Chile and Ecuador, where it has remained at remarkably low levels. The circulation of the Lambda variant in other countries in South America (e.g., Brazil and Colombia) and other regions of the world has also occurred at very low levels, even though this variant has been known for a long time. Multivariate linear regression analyses of the proportion of case fatalities attributable to the Lambda variant, the new deaths and the new confirmed cases per million (7-day rolling average) in Peru did not show significant associations. A review of the most recent data on the Lambda variant has suggested this variant's relatively high infectivity in cultured cells and low neutralizing titers of convalescent sera and vaccine-elicited antibodies in vitro. However, the exact effects of this variant on clinical severity and vaccine effectiveness remain poorly documented. The currently authorized COVID-19 vaccines are still believed to provide efficient protection against the Lambda variant.
Prion, Viral, Bacterial and Fungal Pathogens of Humans [VV210]; Biological Resources (General) [PP700]; coronavirus disease 2019; disease distribution; disease surveys; disease transmission; geographical distribution; human diseases; mutations; public health; spatial distribution; strains; viral diseases; health impact assessment; man; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Argentina; Brazil; Chile; Colombia; Ecuador; Peru; Latin America; America; South America; upper-middle income countries; very high Human Development Index countries; Community of Portuguese Language Countries; high Human Development Index countries; Andean Group; APEC countries; high income countries; Homo; Hominidae; primates; mammals; vertebrates; Chordata; animals; eukaryotes; Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus; Betacoronavirus; Coronavirinae; Coronaviridae; Nidovirales; positive-sense ssRNA Viruses; ssRNA Viruses; RNA Viruses; viruses; disease outbreaks; disease surveillance; SARS-CoV-2; viral infections
Full text:
Available
Collection:
Databases of international organizations
Database:
CAB Abstracts
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
Topics:
Variants
Language:
English
Journal:
Zoonoses
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
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