Explained: What are the Kappa and Lambda variants of Covid-19? Should you be concerned?

Eleven cases of the Kappa variant of Covid19 have been detected in Rajasthan said State Health Minister Raghu Sharma on Tuesday Addressing a press briefing last week Dr VK Paul MemberHealth NITI Aayog had said that the Kappa variant of Covid19 is a variant of interest and it is not a new variant as cases have been reported in the country beforeDr Paul added Lambda variant of coronavirus is a variant of interest We should be watchful of such variants As of now there is no evidence that this variant has been identified in India Dr VK Paul MemberHealth NITI Aayog said at a weekly press conference On June 14 the World Health Organization designated the Lambda variant previously known by its formal scientific name C37 as the seventh and newest variant of interestWhat are the Kappa and Lambda variantsThe Kappa variant also known as B11671 was first identified in India in December 2020 It is genetically close to the delta variant in the SARSCoV2 phylogenetic tree explains Dr Lancelot Pinto Consultant Pulmonologist at PD Hinduja Hospital amp MRCThe Kappa variant of coronavirus has been there for a longer time But it was recently identified by the World Health Organization WHO It is a double mutant strain of coronavirus that is made up of two viral types that are E484Q mutation and L452R mutation The E484Q mutation is identical to the E484K mutation identified in the variants of concern which had originated in Brazil and South Africa Meanwhile the L452R mutation originated in California and evades onersquos immune systemrsquos natural defence The WHO has termed Kappa as a variant of interest According to various studies this variant lowers the effectiveness for both vaccines and immunity generated via natural infections It may also lead to varied symptoms such as rashes high fever runny nose and watery eyes adds Dr Bipin Jibhkate Consultant critical care medicine and ICU director Wockhardt HospitalAlso Read11 cases of Covid19 Kappa variant found in RajasthanThe WHO also termed the Lambda variant as a ldquovariant of interestrdquo Originated in Peru this variant has been detected in more than 30 countries and is predominately noticed in South America The cases of this new variant have not been seen in India As the Lambda variant has been recently detected there is no evidence about its severity or how it responds to treatmentsAre they different from the Delta and Delta Plus variantsDr Jibhkate explains the Delta variant is of major concern and a highly contagious possibly more severe SARSCoV2 virus strain which was first identified in India in December Delta is the name for the B16172 mutant It is soon becoming the dominant strain of the virus in India and Great BritainThe Delta Plus variant is the subdivision of the Delta variant that has been found in India It was first seen in Maharashtra and was a culprit behind a large number of Covid19 infections This variant can cause symptoms such as stomach aches nausea appetite loss and vomiting Severe complications include joint pain and hearing impairmentThe new variants namely Kappa and Lambda are different from the Delta and Delta Plus variants and it still needs to be seen if they are more severe than the other strainsShould they be considered causes of concernThe Delta Plus variant has increased transmissibility stronger binding to receptors of lung cells potential reduction in monoclonal antibody response is highly infectious and causes more hospitalisations when compared to previous strains There is no knowledge about the impact of Kappa and Lambda yetHowever Dr VK Paul in his press conference said that the Kappa variant is ldquomuch less in its intensityrdquoHow are the variants namedAt the time the WHO decided to use nonstigmatising simpletouse Greek alphabets as names for variants explains Dr Pinto There were four recognised variants of concern and based on when they were reported these were chronologically named Alpha Beta Gamma and Delta earlier called Kent South African Brazilian and Indian variants respectively The circulating variants of interest were named Epsilon Zeta Eta Theta Iota and Kappa while Lambda is the newest addition to this listWhat is the primary course of treatmentDr Pinto says the course of treatment may differ only if the existing antibody cocktails are found to be ineffective against the newer variants The BamlanivimabEtesevimab antibody cocktail was found to be ineffective against newer variants and that might be the case with other antibody cocktails such as Regen CoV used in India with newer variants Apart from this there is no reason to believe that other drugs used in Covid19 will not work on newer variantsDr Jibhkate adds the course of treatment is decided by the doctor depending on the condition of the Covid19 patient Hence it is essential to seek timely treatmentAre the vaccines effective against the new variantsDr Pinto says vaccineinduced immunity is not only antibodydependent but involves cellmediated immunity too This is why despite the Delta variant needing higher antibody titres for neutralisation in the laboratory it does appear that protection was offered against hospitalisation and death One hopes that this might be the case for newer variants too