Before delta, there was alpha, beta and gamma.

Now there is another, lambda, which is primarily spreading in South America.

Some cases of lambda were found at a Houston hospital last month, according to KHOU11.

Other cases were found in Dallas earlier this week, according to The Dallas Morning News.

But is it spreading in North Carolina? And does the vaccine protect against it?

Here is what you need to know about the lambda variant.

What is lambda?

The lambda variant, or C.37, is a mutation of the original strain of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

It first emerged in Peru back in December. Since then, over 1,200 cases of it have been found there. In Chile, over 1,400 have been reported.

The World Health Organization recognizes it as a variant of interest, meaning that it's capable of causing significant community transmission.

It's a step below a variant of concern which includes alpha, beta, gamma and delta, which have been shown to increase transmissibility and have had a significant effect on public health, according to WHO.