The global pandemic alert brought by the delta mutant strain has not been lifted, and a mutant strain named "lamda" has begun to show a trend of "topping" again. At present, the strain has been discovered in many countries and regions in the world, and has been listed as a strain to be observed by the World Health Organization.
"Lambda" cases appear in many countries around the world
With the spread of the epidemic, there have been cases of infection with the “lambda” strain in the United States. According to data from the "Influenza Data Sharing Global Initiative", the world's largest influenza and new coronavirus data platform, there are currently 1,060 cases of new coronary pneumonia caused by the "lamda" strain in the United States.
According to reports, although the number of confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia infected with the “lambda” strain in the United States is much less than the number of cases infected with the “delta” mutant strain, some infectious disease experts said that the “lambda” virus The strain is also a mutant strain that they are paying close attention to.
Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare also reported a few days ago that the country’s first confirmed case of new coronary pneumonia infected with the “lambda” strain.
It is reported that on July 20, the infected person flew from Peru to Japan's Haneda Airport and was diagnosed with new crown pneumonia during entry quarantine. After genetic analysis, it was determined that the infection was the "lambda" mutant strain. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare stated that it is still analyzing the variant strain.
In addition to the United States and Japan, data from the Public Health Agency of England in July this year also showed that in addition to South America, countries and regions such as the United States, Canada, Germany, Spain, Israel, the United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe have also reported the "lambda" strain. Cases of infection.
According to the data released by GISAID, since it was first discovered in Peru in August last year, the Muda mutant strain has spread to 41 countries and regions, especially in South American countries such as Chile, Peru, and Ecuador.
Among them, Chile has the largest number of infections with this strain, accounting for 31% of the total number of such cases in the WHO control
Lambda variants need attention
The World Health Organization issued a report on June 14 this year, naming the C.37 strain first discovered in Peru with the Greek letter λ (lamda), and listed it as one of the mutant viruses that "need attention".
According to WHO's standards, if the spread of mutant viruses that "need attention" is further accelerated to a certain degree, if existing epidemic prevention measures need to be adjusted for this purpose, they will be upgraded to mutant viruses that "need attention".
Previous studies have shown that the "lambda" variant has 7 mutations in the spike protein, which makes it more infectious than the previous version. In addition, the mutant "lambda" can evade neutralizing antibodies, giving it the ability to fight immunity.
According to a preliminary study by New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine, Pfizer and Modena have a weaker influence on the “lambda” variant, and the level of antibodies produced is 2-3 times lower than that of the original virus. Some researchers also issued an early warning reminding everyone to pay attention to the mutant strain. At present, the world has not fully realized the danger of the "lambda" strain.
However, the evidence currently available is insufficient to confirm the full impact of these mutations. For this strain, further research is needed to determine the necessary countermeasures.
Fauci also warned that as the virus continues to spread, there are more and more opportunities for the virus to mutate, and the next-generation mutant virus will be more aggressive and contagious than the current popular version, and may even cause the vaccine to fail completely.
Global vaccination progress is extremely uneven
According to real-time statistics from Phoenix.com, after the start of the new crown vaccination process, as of about 19:00 on August 11, 2021, the global number of new crown vaccination doses has exceeded 4.5 billion doses, of which China's vaccination dose accounted for nearly 40%.
Country statistics show that China's new crown vaccination has reached 1.81 billion doses, India has reached 519 million doses, and the United States has reached 353 million doses. These three countries also rank among the top three countries with the highest vaccination doses in the world.
Western developed countries generally lead other countries in vaccination rates, but they have not yet fully reached the herd immunity threshold. Among the countries where the proportion of the population in the whole course of vaccination is more than 30%, European and American countries account for the majority.
As of July 19, 2021, more than 60% of people in Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Italy have been partially vaccinated against the new crown vaccine, and more than 50% of people in Germany, France, the United States, and Saudi Arabia have been partially vaccinated against the new crown vaccine.
From a global perspective, vaccination shows a severe international imbalance, and the vaccination rate in underdeveloped regions is far behind that in developed regions.
Underdeveloped countries and regions are relatively backward in terms of scientific research capacity, production capacity, medical resources, etc., and cannot rely on their own strength to ensure the supply of vaccines in the short term. Given the uneven distribution of vaccines in the international community, the vaccination rate in underdeveloped countries and regions is generally low.
The African continent has received less than 2% of global vaccines. Only 0.9% of the population in low-income countries have received at least one dose of the new crown vaccine. African countries such as Chad, Burkina Faso, and Tanzania. Foreign media pointed out that only after 60% to 70% of the world’s population is vaccinated can “global immunity” be achieved.
