Where has the Lambda Covid variant come from and are there cases confirmed in the UK?
Get the latest Yorkshire breaking news and updates delivered straight to your inbox - sign up for free email updates Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice  A new coronavirus variant - named Lambda by scientists - has been detected in the UK. While the Delta variant remains the most prevalent, cases of the Alpha (Kent), Beta (South Africa) and Gamma (Brazil) are still causing concern. The government are preparing for the final stage of the roadmap, meaning the country will fully reopen on July 19. However, its thought cases of the new variants might increase - although hospitalisations remain low. READ MORE: Life in 'Yorkshire's prettiest village' which is frozen in time and the stuff of legend  Read on to find out everything we know. A total of eight cases of the Lambda variant have been detected in the UK, as of the last update - although this is likely to be an underestimate. Four cases were from London, one was from the South West and one was from the West Midlands. All six were linked to overseas travel. By comparison, 275,233 cases of the Alpha (UK) variant have been confirmed in the UK (although the total is likely to be higher). A total of 161,981 Delta variant (India) cases have been reported in the UK, and this remains the dominant strain of coronavirus. The Lambda variant originates in Peru - where it now makes up around 82% of cases. Its been detected in 27 countries, including the UK. The World Health Organisation designated the Lambda variant as a variant of interest on 14 June. This is different to a variant of concern - which is the categorisation the Delta variant currently falls under. Public Health England (PHE) has also announced an investigation into the variant, based on the number of mutations to the virus spike protein. PHE said their greatest concern was its potential increased transmissibility or possible increased resistance to neutralising antibodies - meaning it could spread faster than previous mutations, or that vaccinations wouldnt be as effective against it. However, the organisation was keen to point out that there is currently no evidence that this variant causes more severe disease or renders the vaccines currently deployed any less effective.