New COVID variants Epsilon and Lambda could be vaccine resistant, early lab studies show



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The Epsilon and Lambda variants of COVID-19 are “variants of interest,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and early studies show they have developed resistance to vaccines.

Japanese researchers have found that the Lambda variant, which was originally discovered in Peru and is now spreading throughout South America, is highly transmissible and more resistant to vaccines than the original COVID-19 strain.

Researchers warned in a July 28 article that has yet to be peer reviewed that labeling Lambda as a ‘variant of interest’ instead of a ‘variant of concern’ could minimize the threat. growing strain.

Meanwhile, the Epsilon variant that was initially discovered in California in 2020 is spreading to Pakistan and is found to be vaccine resistant, researchers say.

Health officials have issued an alert after discovering five cases of the Epsilon variant in Lahore, Pakistan. Medical experts believe the vaccine-resistant strain endangers both vaccinated and unvaccinated people, adding that the strain is just as transmissible as the Delta variant.

Despite these early studies, previous studies have shown that vaccines, including those available in the United States, work against “variants of concern,” such as the Delta variant. Vaccines also prevent serious illness, hospitalizations and death in most groundbreaking cases where a fully vaccinated person tests positive for the coronavirus.

For example, a British study published in May showed that two doses of the Pfizer vaccine were 88% effective in preventing symptomatic Delta variant infection and 96% effective in preventing hospitalization.

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