Israeli public health officials said on Monday that several dangerous COVID variants have begun to develop in a number of countries around the world. One variant, the Lambda variant, has been spreading rapidly throughout South America, especially in Peru, and has been found in 29 countries, including Germany, Spain, the UK and the US, where at least 152 cases have been reported in California. The Lamda variant is thought to be less infectious than the Delta variant but more infectious than COVID-19. However, preliminary research has shown that it is at least somewhat resistant to existing vaccines. The WHO reported in June that “Lambda has been associated with substantive rates of community transmission in multiple countries, with rising prevalence over time concurrent with increased COVID-19 incidence.” Speaking at a meeting of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee on Monday, Dr. Asher Shalmon, head of the Health Ministry’s International Relations Department, said that if the Lambda variant enters Israel, “it would be a game-changer, namely, it would make imposing a lockdown inevitable and we’re trying to avoid that.” “The more the world gets vaccinated, the fewer strains we’ll see. The attempt to delay the introduction of new strains into the country is meant to allow more people to get vaccinated.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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