The World Health Organization issued warnings, Wednesday, of a new mutant that may be more virulent than others, including the delta mutant, and it is called "lambda", as it has the ability to attach to cells.
The new mutant accounted for 70% of coronavirus infections in Chile and Argentina in the Latin American continent in recent weeks.
The Director of the WHO Regional Office, Carissa Etienne, said that the available evidence so far about this mutation indicates its high risk, especially in terms of its rapid transmission and ability to resist immunity arising from vaccines and recover from the pandemic.
She also added that the organization still does not have sufficient data to determine the extent of the seriousness of this mutation and its final specifications, noting that the scientific indicators gathered so far by experts do not give rise to optimism, as she described it.
The new mutant was first discovered in Peru in January 2020, and in April 2021, more than 80% of new cases of corona in Peru became from it.
She also explained that the new mutant has seven molecules in the barbed protein, which are protrusions on the outer envelope of the virus that help it adhere to and invade our cells.
On June 14, 2021, the World Health Organization announced this mutant and named it "Lambda variant" and considered it an interesting mutant.