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The C.37 strain, known as the Lambda variant, was first identified in Peru in December 2020, when it accounted for less than one percent of new cases.
It now accounts for about 80 percent of new infections in Peru and has spread to about 27 countries in the last month, according to a report in the Financial Times.
The World Health Organization said the strain carries a number of mutations that may have prompted potential increased transmissibility or possible increased resistance to neutralizing antibodies.
Cases have been identified in different parts of the United Kingdom, though the total number of infections is relatively small. No cases have been confirmed yet in the United States.
The B.1.617 so-called Delta variant, which originated in India at around the same time, has now been identified in about 80 countries.
It's been cited as the main reason for a rise in cases in some less vaccinated regions in the United States. Vaccines, especially the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna shots, have proven effective against it.
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