A new coronavirus mutation has been identified in Israel, the Health Ministry reported Wednesday morning, saying it is a combination of the BA1 strain (Omicron) and its subvariant, BA2 (sometimes referred to as "stealth Omicron").
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Officials identified two such cases when testing arrivals at Ben-Gurion International airport. No other country has reported similar cases.
Both individuals exhibited light symptoms, including fever, headache, and muscle pain. Neither required special medical attention.
The ministry said it was closely monitoring the strain.
Coronavirus Commissioner Salman Zarka said about the strain, "This phenomenon occurs when two new strains meet, they reproduce and take traits from both strains. The infection most likely happened in Israel. A young woman infected a baby and her parents. The two flew abroad and when they returned, their test results at Ben-Gurion airport were tested for new variants, which is when the new strain was revealed."
When asked about the severity of the new mutation, Zarka said, "Omicron is very contagious compared to the Delta, it is still here and the reproduction rate began to rise even before the new strain [was detected.] Those who got infected have recovered already, and until now we have seen a light disease … We continue to monitor the phenomenon, but at this stage, we are not very concerned about the new mutation."
Due to the recent increase in the reproduction rate, Zarka called on the Israeli public to don masks indoors, follow health guidelines, and get vaccinated.
On Wednesday morning, the Health Ministry reported 6,310 news cases. Altogether, 57,708 Israelis were screened for the virus in the past 24 hours, which puts the infection rate at 10.93%.
There are 37,557 active cases in the country with 789 patients hospitalized. Of those, 335 are in serious condition.
Thus far, 736,786 Israelis have been vaccinated with four doses, 4,469,410 with three, 6,124,888 with two, and 6,700,861 have received one shot.
Israel has reported 3,734,462 cases, including 10,401 deaths, since the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020.
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