A previously unknown COVID-19 variant has been detected in Israel, the nation’s health officials announced Wednesday.
Two cases of the new variant, which is said to be a combination of omicron’s BA.1 and BA.2 subvariants, were found in a couple who underwent a PCR test upon landing at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel, the country’s Ministry of Health (MoH) said, according to newspaper Haaretz.
The two cases were not named, but they were described as a couple in their 30s who had just returned from abroad.
Authorities also did not disclose when they detected the new variant, which was “still unknown around the world,” according to the MoH.
The couple contracted the new variant from their infant son, claimed Dr. Salman Zarka, the head of Israel’s COVID-19 program.
Zarka claimed a “young woman” had infected the couple and their child, The Times of Israel reported.
“It’s likely that they were infected before boarding the flight in Israel. The variant could have emerged here,” the doctor said.
The two infected experienced “light” symptoms such as fever and headaches and did not require specialized medical care, according to the MoH.
Despite the discovery of the new variant, Zarka was reportedly not concerned about it leading to serious cases.
“The phenomenon of combined variants is well known,” the doctor said.
Read the article in the International Business Times.