symptoms and why the new strain of Covid-19 is so contagious

Since the start of the pandemic, the appearance of SARS-CoV-2 variants has been expected, because mutations are natural mechanisms involved in the evolution of viruses. However, some of these newer strains have more benefits and may make the virus more transmissible, develop more severe symptoms, or reduce the protection offered by vaccines. When you meet two of the criteria, you are already talking about a “worry variant”.

In Brazil, the Lambda variant was detected last February, in São Paulo. Today, a group of scientists led by Priscila Lamb Wink, from the Bacterial Resistance Research Laboratory of the Hospital of Clinics of Porto Alegre, found and analyzed a sample from a person who had stayed in Argentina and who had to be hospitalized. They discovered that he had been infected with the Lambda variant, whose technical name is “C.37”.

Researchers have discovered eight defining mutations of the variant, in addition to the 19 mutations already described for other members of this line. And they detailed that the high prevalence of the Lambda variant has already been described in Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Argentina.

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Indeed, the Peruvian authorities have reported that 81% of Covid-19 cases sequenced since April 2021 were associated with Lambda; Argentina has reported an increase in the prevalence of Lambda since the third week of February 2021, and between April 2 and May 19, 2021, the variant accounted for 37% of sequenced COVID-19 cases. But in AMBA, the Lambda variant was found in over 60% of the samples sequenced. In Chile, the prevalence of Lambda has increased over time, accounting for 32% of sequenced cases reported in the past 60 days.

At this time, the identified symptoms of the Lambda variant are no different from most other lineages that cause Covid-19. Among them are:

• Fever of 37.5 ° or more
• Tos
• Sore throat
• Difficulty breathing
• Rhinitis / nasal congestion
• Muscle pain
• Headache
• Diarrhea and / or vomiting
• Sudden loss of taste and / or smell