The country’s Ministry of Health informed on Wednesday that a new strain of COVID-19 has emerged from Israel. The new strain is a combination of 2 Omicron subvariants, i.e. BA.1 and BA.2, and was reported during PCR tests on two passengers arriving at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport. However, officials said they are not unduly worried about the new version at this stage. Here’s everything you need to know:
What is the new variant and what are its symptoms?
“This version is still unknown worldwide,” the ministry statement said.
“The two cases of joint strain, discovered so far, suffered from fever, headache and mild symptoms of muscular dystrophy, and did not require special medical response,” it added.
Could the new version cause a serious infection?
Israel’s health ministry officials said the level of risk is unknown at this stage.
“The occurrence of combined variants is well known,” Israel’s pandemic response chief, Salman Zarka, told Army Radio. “At this stage, we are not worried about it leading to serious cases”.
More than four million people out of Israel’s 9.2 million population have received three coronavirus vaccine shots. The country has officially recorded a total of about 1.4 million cases of Covid infection including 8,244 deaths.
Studies find evidence of Delta+Omicron recombinant virus
Recent studies have also found the first evidence of a Delta+Omicron recombinant virus. It is a hybrid version of the coronavirus that combines genes from delta and omicron variants.
Philippe Colson of the IHU Mediterranean Infection in Marseille, France, who is the study’s lead author, noted that genetic recombination of coronaviruses occurs when two types infect the same host cells.
“During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, two or more variants have co-circulated during the same time period and in the same geographic areas … this has created opportunities for recombination between these two variants.”
And while issuing a warning about the same, the World Health Organization also said that given the wild circulation of both Delta and Omicron, ‘this was expected.’
However, only a few cases have been detected so far, so it is too early to say whether it could lead to a serious infection.
(with inputs from agencies)
Don’t miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint.
download
Our App Now!!