A new coronavirus strain detected in Peru has made its way into more than 25 countries, including Australia.

The highly-contagious Lambda variant was detected in New South Wales hotel quarantine last month but is yet to reach the community.

University of Queensland director of infectious diseases Paul Griffin said, while it will eventually make its way into the community, Australians shouldn’t be too concerned at this stage.

“It is potentially a little more infectious, but it does appear so far our vaccines still work,” he told Gary Adshead, filling in for Liam Bartlett.

“Our strategy still can control it, it’s still the same virus, it’s still transmitted the same way.

“So if we go with our strategy to mitigate spread, then we can control this one as well.”

Press PLAY to hear more about the Lambda variant