Which is more harmful, Lambda or Delta? Can the Lambda strain evade the vaccine

At present, there have been many variants of COVID-19 in the world. After the Delta virus, the Ramda virus found in Peru began to attract attention. Which is better, Lambda or Delta?

Which is more powerful, Lambda or Delta?

Delta was first discovered in India in October last year and is currently spreading in over a hundred countries and regions. The virus strain has the characteristics of significantly enhanced transmission capacity, which may lead to increased disease severity, and the protection of COVID-19 vaccine against Delta virus may decline.

It is understood that the Ramda mutant virus was first reported in Lima, the capital, in August last year, and was marked as a "concerned variant" (VOI) by WHO in June this year. Now it has spread to more than 30 countries, and its infection symptoms seem to be the same as the common symptoms of COVID-19. The latest research in Japan indicates that the Lambda variant not only has high infectivity, but may also evade neutralizing antibodies. From the current situation, Delta is more toxic and contagious.

Will Lambda virus evade vaccines?

Previous studies have suggested that Lambda carries some mutations that may enhance its transmission ability. Japanese researchers recently published an article on the BioRxiv platform of the United States Biology Open Access Preprint Platform, pointing out that the Ramda (λ) variant of COVID-19 is not only highly infectious, but also possible to escape neutralizing antibodies. In a recent study, researchers from the University of Tokyo and Osaka University in Japan stated that the spike protein of the Lambda variant is highly infectious, and the "culprit" behind this high infectivity is the T61 and L452Q mutations in the virus, which alter the nature of the variant's binding to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) cell receptor. The researchers stated that although this study has not yet undergone peer review, it can be determined that the activity level of cells infected by the Lambda variant virus is no less than that of the Delta variant.

What are the characteristics of the Lambda variant strain?

The Lambda strain was initially reported in Lima, the capital, in August 2020, and the detection rate among newly infected individuals after April 2021 was 80%. Many scientists have mentioned that the "unusual combination" of the Lambda strain may make it more transmissible. The spike protein of the Lambda variant strain has seven mutations, and the spike protein is a protrusion on the virus shell that helps it attach and invade cells. These mutations may promote the binding of Lambda to cells and make it more difficult for antibodies to attach to fight against the virus. The infection symptoms of Ramda mutant virus seem to be the same as the common symptoms of COVID-19, such as cough, fever, loss of taste, loss of smell, body pain and shortness of breath.