At least one case of new lambda variant identified in B.C.
Preliminary research suggests the variant is somewhat resistant to vaccine-induced antibodies
Author of the article:Gordon McIntyre
Publishing date:Aug 04, 2021 • 11 hours ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
Health workers travel by boat for a vaccination clinic on an island in Peru's Lake Titicaca. Peru is where the lambda variant of COVID-19 was first detected.
Health workers travel by boat for a vaccination clinic on an island in Peru's Lake Titicaca. Peru is where the lambda variant of COVID-19 was first detected. PHOTO BY CARLOS MAMANI /AFP via Getty Images
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At least one case of a new COVID-19 variant called lambda has been identified in B.C., according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
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Preliminary research released last week, which hasn’t yet been reviewed by independent scientists, suggests lambda is highly infectious and may be somewhat resistant to current vaccines.
Still, the variant, which was first detected in Peru, is considered only a variant of interest so far, not a more-dangerous variant of concern. The World Health Organization determines whether a variant is of interest or concern.
Japanese researchers say lambda, now spreading in South America, has three mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 virus’s spike protein that helps it resist neutralization by vaccine-induced antibodies. Two additional mutations help make lambda highly infectious, they said.
British Columbians need to keep following guidelines and get vaccinated, Dr. Bonnie Henry said.
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“Most viruses of concern — and it’s not been labelled that yet, it’s a virus of interest — are ones that transmit more easily between people,” she said. “Yes, we are watching it … but we know the same measures apply.”
She presented data last week showing most people who are now get COVID-19 — primarily the delta variant now in B.C. — have not been immunized.
“When you think about the people who are in hospital, the people in ICU, the vast majority of them … less than four per cent of the cases that we’ve had in the past two months have been in people who’ve been vaccinated.
“We know vaccines work, they protect people and that’s what we need to focus on right now.”
In other words, the measures that have worked against previous variants of the virus are the best measures to employ against lambda, Henry said.
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“We know the same measures that we take to prevent transmission work against all of the variants, including delta, which is the one we’re seeing circulating frequently right now, and we’re seeing a lot of the gamma, as well, a little bit of alpha and a smattering of a number of others.
“But the measures are the same: It’s keeping sick people away from well people so it can’t be transmitted, and it’s all of us being protected from the virus by being immunized.”
The Japanese research paper is just one study and still needs to be peer-reviewed, cautioned Dr. Anthony Chow, professor emeritus of infectious diseases at UBC’s department of medicine.
“There is a lot of interest and a lot of concern about this variant,” Chow said. “There is one report that this variant might escape certain neutralizing antibodies.”
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Other studies, however, show approved vaccines are at least partly effective even if new variants are somewhat more resistant to antibodies, he said, adding the vaccines we have are still the most effective way to fight the spread of COVID-19.
“We need to get people vaccinated,” Chow said. “My big concern is that there is still a fairly large percentage” of unvaccinated people “We don’t want (variants) to become dominant because once they start to transmit, that gives them opportunities for further mutations.
“There is a need for vaccination because all the new cases are primarily those who are not vaccinated. People need to get over the misinformation about vaccines.”
gordmcintyre@postmedia.com
twitter.com/gordmcintyre
SARS-CoV-2 Lambda, a new variant of interest, is now spreading in some South American countries; however, its virological features and evolutionary trait remain unknown. Here we reveal that the spike protein of the Lambda variant is more infectious and it is attributed to the T76I and L452Q...
biorxiv.org
A new study published on the bioRxiv* preprint server used molecular phylogenetic analysis to study the evolutionary trait of the Lambda variant.
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One case of the variant has been found in B.C. Preliminary research suggests it is somewhat resistant to vaccine-induced antibodies
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