The Lambda coronavirus variant has arrived in Australia. Here's what we know so far Some reports suggest the new Lambda variant could be fast spreading and difficult to tackle with vaccines. What is this strain and should we be worried? 6 July 2021 We've seen the Alpha, Kappa and Delta variants cross our borders, but it turns out another strain of the virus that causes COVID-19 has reached our shores. The variant, named Lambda by the World Health Organization (WHO) last month, was detected in an overseas traveller who was in hotel quarantine in New South Wales in April, according to national genomics database AusTrakka.