sars-cov-2 lambda variant sars-cov-2 lambda variant lambda variant, also known as lineage c.37, is a variant of sars-cov-2, the virus that causes covid-19. it was first detected in peru in august 2020. on 14 june 2021, the world health organization (who) named it lambda variant and designated it as a variant of interest. it has spread to at least 30 countries around the world and is known to be more resistant to neutralizing antibodies compared to other strains. there is evidence that suggests the lambda variant is both more infectious and resistant to vaccines than the alpha and/or gamma variant. part of a series on thecovid-19 pandemicscientifically accurate atomic model of the external structure of sars-cov-2. each "ball" is an atom. covid-19 (disease) sars-cov-2 (virus) cases deaths timeline 2019 2020 january responses february responses march responses april responses may responses june responses july responses august responses september responses october responses november responses december responses 2021 january responses february responses march responses april responses may responses june responses july responses august responses september responses october responses november responses december responses 2022 january responses february responses march responses april responses may responses june responses july responses august responses september responses october responses november december 2023 january february march april may locations by country and territory africa antarctica asia europe north america oceania south america by conveyance cruise ships naval ships international response endemic phase evacuations face masks international aid investigations into origin lockdowns by country misinformation by governments fake treatments social distancing software travel united nations world health organization wto ip waiver undercounting of deaths covid-19 apps zero-covid national responses africa china european union germany ghana india ireland netherlands new zealand nigeria philippines russia sweden uk government us federal government vietnam medical response disease testing breathalyzer development drug development drug repurposing public health mitigation vaccines history research vitt deployment authorizations operation warp speed misinformation and hesitancy us vaccine card vaccine passports current vaccines coronavac covaxin convidecia janssen medigen moderna novavax oxford–astrazeneca pfizer–biontech sinopharm bibp sputnik v variants variants of concern alpha beta gamma delta omicron other variants epsilon zeta eta theta iota kappa lambda mu cluster 5 lineage b.1.617 economic impact and recession arts and culture aviation cannabis cinema films disney fashion financial markets food industry food security journalism music performing arts retail shipping television us sportscasting programs tourism video games by country canada india ireland malaysia new zealand russia uk us by sport association football baseball basketball combat sports cricket disc golf gaelic games gridiron football ice hockey motorsport rugby league impacts animals black people crime death rates by country disability domestic violence emergency evacuations education female environment hospitals language lgbt community long-term care media coverage mental health symptoms migration military notable deaths other health issues politics diplomacy popular culture protests pregnancy prisons religion catholic church hajj science and technology social media strikes suicides telehealth xenophobia and racism society ireland malaysia new zealand russia uk us covid-19 portal mutations the lambda genome has the following amino acid mutations, all of which are in the virus's spike protein code: g75v, t76i, δ246-252, l452q, f490s, d614g and t859n. amino acid mutations of sars-cov-2 lambda variant plotted on a genome map of sars-cov-2 with a focus on the spike. history first samples of the lambda variant were detected in peru in august 2020 and by april 2021, over eighty percent of new cases of covid-19 in peru were from the new variant. in mid-june 2021, 90.6% of new covid-19 cases in arequipa and 78.1% of new cases in cusco were the lambda variant, according to the peruvian ministry of health. by this time the lambda variant had also spread throughout south america and was detected in twenty-nine countries in total, especially in argentina, chile and ecuador. the who designated the lambda variant as a "variant of interest" on 14 june 2021. on 6 july 2021, australia reported its first case of the lambda variant in an overseas traveler who had been in a new south wales quarantine hotel in april. on 19 july 2021, texas reported its first case of the lambda variant. on 22 july 2021, florida reported 126 cumulative confirmed cases of the lambda variant. on 28 july 2021, university of miami researchers announced random sampling showed 3 percent of covid-19 patients in jackson memorial health system and at university of miami’s uhealth tower were infected with it. on 5 august 2021, louisiana reported its first case of the lambda variant. on 7 august 2021, japan confirmed its first case of the lambda variant, with the infected person arriving in japan from peru on 20 july. on 15 august 2021, the philippines confirmed its first case of the lambda variant. statistics cases by country (updated as of 23 august 2021) gisaid country confirmed cases collection date chile 1,489 13 july 2021 peru 1,480 15 june 2021 united states 848 5 august 2021 ecuador 194 20 july 2021 mexico 189 14 july 2021 spain 124 7 july 2021 argentina 111 24 june 2021 germany 87 13 july 2021 france 56 19 july 2021 colombia 51 29 june 2021 israel 25 9 may 2021 switzerland 8 25 july 2021 canada 26 21 june 2021 the netherlands 3 11 july 2021 saint kitts and nevis 10 6 june 2021 belgium 2 23 july 2021 united kingdom 8 10 july 2021 italy 12 26 june 2021 brazil 7 21 june 2021 india 6 12 april 2021 denmark 1 11 august 2021 sweden 1 15 july 2021 south africa 3 14 july 2021 portugal 1 10 june 2021 qatar 3 13 april 2021 latvia 2 30 april 2021 aruba 2 2 june 2021 bolivia 1 2 june 2021 uruguay 1 15 april 2021 australia 1 3 april 2021 lithuania 1 19 may 2021 norway 1 7 july 2021 estonia 1 1 april 2021 russia 1 21 march 2021 finland 1 31 may 2021 turkey 1 8 february 2021 bangladesh 1 20 march 2021 japan 1 7 august 2021 philippines 1 15 august 2021 venezuela 2 5 may 2021 mayotte 1 15 july 2021 el salvador 3 30 april 2021 guatemala 1 3 july 2021 costa rica 4 20 july 2021 world (44 countries) total: 4,763 total as of 23 august 2021