As the Delta variant of COVID-19 continues to push a surge of new cases, two more variants – Lambda and B.1.621 – are emerging in the U.S.
According to WWL TV, the Lambda variant has been found in Northern Louisiana.
Related
“It's pretty clear now this virus is evolving fairly rapidly because it has access to a lot of people,” said Dr. Lucio Miele, MD, PhD with the Louisiana State University Health Genetics and Precision Medicine Lab.
The B.1.621 variant is so new that it has not been given a name beyond that marker, said Forbes.
However, Miele said it has already caused an outbreak in the U.S.
“So, what we're going to have to see over the next few weeks is how these variants compete with Delta, which is now the dominant one in the United States,” Miele said.
Miele plays a key role in finding variants across Louisiana.
He said that, as these two new variants spread, the Delta variant is also mutating into sub-variants.
"Because Delta is so good at out-competing other variants, it's having children," Miele said. “There's the real possibility that one of its children will be better than the parent.”
Lambda and B.1.621 could also prove to be more contagious than Delta. These new strains could also be partially resistant to the antibodies created by vaccines. This means that even people who have had COVID-19 or have been vaccinated may still get infected with the new variants.
Related
Miele said the mutation rate of COVID-19 shows it can generate more than 24 major variants a year, or two a month.
Getting the vaccine still helps reduce the changes of virus mutation as it cuts down on the overall presence of the virus. They can also prevent severe cases of COVD-19.
“The most recent data shows at least one in four people who contract COVID will experience long haul symptoms from long-term damage to various organs,” he said.
Related
