"Lambda Variant Found in 31 Countries So Far... Becoming Dominant Strain in South America" (Update)

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The 'Lambda variant,' one of the COVID-19 variants, has been found in 31 countries worldwide to date.

On the 16th, Kwon Jun-wook, the 2nd Deputy Director of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, stated at a regular briefing in response to related inquiries, "As of July, the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported the Lambda variant confirmed in 31 countries worldwide."

On the 13th, when 1,990 new COVID-19 cases were reported, marking the third consecutive day with numbers around 2,000, travelers visiting the temporary screening clinic set up at the Anseong Rest Area on the Seoul-bound side in Gyeonggi Province are waiting to be tested. /Anseong=Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, the Lambda variant was first identified in Peru in October last year and has been designated as a 'variant of interest' by the WHO.

Deputy Director Kwon explained, "Recently, the Lambda variant has become the dominant strain in the South American region," adding, "In Peru, infections caused by the Lambda variant account for 81% of all COVID-19 confirmed cases, and in Argentina, about 37%."

The transmissibility of the Lambda variant has not yet been specifically confirmed, and related investigations and monitoring are currently underway. There are also findings that vaccine protection against the Lambda variant has somewhat weakened, but the overall evaluation of vaccine efficacy is not yet complete.

In response to questions about vaccine efficacy against the Lambda variant, Deputy Director Kwon said, "There have been some findings that the vaccine's protective effect against the Lambda variant has decreased to a degree similar to the partial reduction in protection observed with Pfizer or Moderna vaccines against the Delta variant."

He continued, "Although the Lambda variant has not yet been detected in our country, we will thoroughly respond by evaluating and monitoring the antibody treatments currently in use," he emphasized.

Yesterday, the first confirmed case related to the Lambda variant was reported in the Philippines, and in Japan, it was first identified on the 20th of last month. In the United States, after the first case was reported in Texas in July, the number of infections has rapidly increased to about 1,000 within less than a month, indicating that the spread of the Lambda variant is intensifying.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.