Officials Monitoring New COVID Strain Identified in Israel

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”).

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, 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 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.