<p>Israel's ministry of health said Wednesday it had recorded two cases of new Covid variant, but which officials said they were not unduly worried about.</p>.<p>The strain, combining two sub-variants of the Omicron version of the Covid-19 virus -- dubbed BA.1 and BA.2 -- was recorded during PCR tests on two passengers arriving at Israel's Ben Gurion airport.</p>.<p>"This variant is still unknown around the world," the ministry statement read.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/covid-19-cases-wane-in-india-but-rise-in-china-europe-1091746.html" target="_blank">Covid-19 cases wane in India but rise in China, Europe</a></strong></p>.<p>"The two cases of the combined strain, which have been discovered so far, suffered from mild symptoms of fever, headaches and muscle dystrophy, and do not require a special medical response," it added.</p>.<p>Israel's pandemic response chief, Salman Zarka, played down the risks.</p>.<p>"The phenomenon of combined variants is well known," Zarka told Army Radio. "At this stage, we are not worried about it leading to serious cases".</p>.<p>More than four million people out of Israel's population of 9.2 million have received three coronavirus vaccine shots.</p>.<p>A total of almost 1.4 million cases of Covid infection, including 8,244 deaths, have been officially recorded in the country.</p>.<p>Last month, Israel announced that unvaccinated tourists would be allowed to enter as part of an easing of covid restrictions.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/panorama/china-s-covid-lockdowns-set-to-further-disrupt-supply-chains-1092035.html">China’s Covid lockdowns set to further disrupt supply chains</a></strong></p>.<p>The country was seeing a "consistent decline in morbidity data," Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said.</p>.<p>A previous effort to reopen the border last November foundered after just a few weeks because of the fast-spreading Omicron variant.</p>.<p>Israel was one of the first countries to launch a national vaccination campaign in December 2020.</p>.<p>Earlier this month, the government announced it would provide fourth Covid vaccine shots to people over 60 and health workers, amid a surge driven by the Omicron variant.</p>.<p><strong>Check out the latest videos from <i data-stringify-type="italic">DH</i>:</strong></p>
<p>Israel's ministry of health said Wednesday it had recorded two cases of new Covid variant, but which officials said they were not unduly worried about.</p>.<p>The strain, combining two sub-variants of the Omicron version of the Covid-19 virus -- dubbed BA.1 and BA.2 -- was recorded during PCR tests on two passengers arriving at Israel's Ben Gurion airport.</p>.<p>"This variant is still unknown around the world," the ministry statement read.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/covid-19-cases-wane-in-india-but-rise-in-china-europe-1091746.html" target="_blank">Covid-19 cases wane in India but rise in China, Europe</a></strong></p>.<p>"The two cases of the combined strain, which have been discovered so far, suffered from mild symptoms of fever, headaches and muscle dystrophy, and do not require a special medical response," it added.</p>.<p>Israel's pandemic response chief, Salman Zarka, played down the risks.</p>.<p>"The phenomenon of combined variants is well known," Zarka told Army Radio. "At this stage, we are not worried about it leading to serious cases".</p>.<p>More than four million people out of Israel's population of 9.2 million have received three coronavirus vaccine shots.</p>.<p>A total of almost 1.4 million cases of Covid infection, including 8,244 deaths, have been officially recorded in the country.</p>.<p>Last month, Israel announced that unvaccinated tourists would be allowed to enter as part of an easing of covid restrictions.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/panorama/china-s-covid-lockdowns-set-to-further-disrupt-supply-chains-1092035.html">China’s Covid lockdowns set to further disrupt supply chains</a></strong></p>.<p>The country was seeing a "consistent decline in morbidity data," Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said.</p>.<p>A previous effort to reopen the border last November foundered after just a few weeks because of the fast-spreading Omicron variant.</p>.<p>Israel was one of the first countries to launch a national vaccination campaign in December 2020.</p>.<p>Earlier this month, the government announced it would provide fourth Covid vaccine shots to people over 60 and health workers, amid a surge driven by the Omicron variant.</p>.<p><strong>Check out the latest videos from <i data-stringify-type="italic">DH</i>:</strong></p>