The Lambda variant is now in 29 countries, but what evidence do we have that it’s more dangerous?

[2greys]

...........................................A variant of interest is one that has mutations that are predicted or known to affect things such as transmissibility (how easily the virus spreads), severity of disease, ability to evade immunity from past infections or vaccines, or confound diagnostic tests.

Many scientists speak of lambda’s “unusual combination” of mutations, which may make it more transmissible.

Lambda has seven mutations on the spike protein, the mushroom-shaped projections on the outer shell of the virus that help it latch onto our cells and invade them. These mutations may make it easier for lambda to bind to our cells and make it harder for our antibodies to latch onto the virus and neutralise it.

But it’s important to remember that neutralising antibodies aren’t the only tool in the immune system’s toolkit – they are merely the easiest to study. T cells play a vital role too, so a handful of mutations – however unusual – might not be enough to allow lambda to dodge our immune system altogether.

So what evidence do we have that these mutations make lambda more dangerous than the original coronavirus? Very little, it turns out.

theconversation.com/covid-l...

[sassy59]

Very interesting. Thank you 2greys xxx

[Snackjack]

Thank you, I had been wondering about this variant xx

[watergazer]

Not heard of this one thanks 2g. Gosh I wonder how many more variants we’ll see this year? X

[Dilly2]

Scary stuff thanks 2 greys😑

[Alberta56]

I hope you're right.