Thread by @TimothyChase

@lalani_safina @macroliter Lambda first found in Peru had the Pango lineage name of C.37. The deletion you are looking for is likely what the following paper refers to as the novel deletion Δ246-252 .

virological.org/t/novel-sublin…

@lalani_safina @macroliter Another paper on Lambda focusing on the mutation:

medrxiv.org/content/10.110…

@lalani_safina @macroliter As for the general significance of deletions...

medrxiv.org/content/10.110…

@lalani_safina @macroliter My apologies... I see that you linked to "First Identification..." in a recent tweet. While searching I found that "Lambda" C.37 is being considered for Variant Of Concern status. That would make it the fifth.

@lalani_safina @macroliter (1/2) Personally, I wonder first whether the Greek alphabet should be used for naming variants of concern and interest since it is already being used for the broad genera of coronaviruses (SARS, MERS, and SARS-CoV-2 are all betacoronaviruses, but there are also the...

@lalani_safina @macroliter (2/2) alphacoronaviruses, gammacoronaviruses and deltacoronaviruses). I also have to wonder whether we shouldn't simply be using it (of we insist on doing so at all) for just the VOCs. I think it might hold out, but if we include the VOIs it won't be that long before we hit Ω.