(A7) A subvariant of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, known as BA2, has arrived in Israel and 20 cases of it have already been detected in the country, Kan 11 News reported on Thursday.
According to the report, BA2 is currently known to have even more mutations than the original Omicron, and as such, some scientists around the world have speculated that it may be more violent. However, at the moment this is only a hypothesis, and it is important to note that there is no absolute certainty and knowledge about this.
The subspecies was first seen in China a few weeks ago. The suspicion is that it originated in India. It has also been located in Denmark, Australia, Canada, and Singapore. Israeli scientists told Kan 11 News that they are concerned by the variant because of its changes, and because of its more mutations.
The Ministry of Health said that “the BA2 variant is a variant that is being developed alongside the Omicron and is being monitored by the Ministry of Health and other countries in the world. At this stage, there is no evidence that it is behaving differently from the Omicron.”
“The Ministry of Health will update the public on any relevant development,” the ministry added.
