Israel Confirms Omicron Hybrid Variant's Arrival

Israel's Ministry of Health (MoH) confirmed on March 16, 2022, two cases of a new SARS-CoV-2 virus variant were recorded on passengers arriving at Israel's Ben Gurion airport. In addition, the Omicron sublineage strains BA.1 and BA.2 were identified.

"The two cases of the combined strain, which have been discovered so far, suffered from mild fever symptoms, headaches, and muscle dystrophy, and do not require a special medical response," the MoH added in a media statement.

The MoH COVID-19 dashboard indicates Israel's current virus infectious rate was 11.93% on March 17, 2022.

In the U.S., the CDC's NowCast and Wastewater systems indicate the BA.2 virus variant significantly increased its national infectious rate over the past week.

Note: The Israeli information was edited for clarity and curated for mobile readers.