A new coronavirus variant, Lambda, has emerged. Scientists and experts see the latest variant of the virus that causes Covid-19 as a fresh threat to the gains made over the last year or so. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Lambda as a "variant of interest" on June 14. However, according to WHO, the first case of this variant, earlier known as C.37, was reported in December 2020. The world health body designates a variant as a "variant of interest" when its genetic changes are predicted or known to affect important characteristics, including transmissibility, disease severity, immune escape, diagnostic or therapeutic escape. Lambda variant of SARS-CoV-2 was first detected in December 2020 in Peru, but the WHO declared it as a "variant of interest" only on June 14. Data at GISAID, a global science initiative, shows that at least 31 countries have reported the latest variant. Among these countries are the United States, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany and Switzerland etc. The latest variant, Lambda, of the novel coronavirus has not been recorded in India so far, news agency ANI reported on July 7 quoting sources. India has reported 45,892 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours. The death count climbed to 4,05,028 with 817 fresh fatalities.