The new Lambda variant of the coronavirus disease , which has so far spread to 30 countries, has been declared a “variant of interest” by the World Health Organization .
Philippine Genome Center Executive Director Cynthia Saloma said the Lambda variant has become “an emerging global public health risk” due to the increasing number of cases particularly in some South American nations, such as Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Ecuador.
“At the same time, hindi rin po natin alam kung ang kanyang transmissibility mas mataas sa Delta variant kasi kaunti pa lang ang datos dito ,” she added. “Na-establish na sa Public Health England na yung Delta variant is highly transmissible by about 60 percent more than the Alpha variant. Yung R naught is between 5 to 8. Yung Lambda, hindi pa natin alam ,” she added.