Israel detects its first case of new coronavirus variant found in South Africa

Israel has identified a case of a Covid-19 variant with a large number of mutations first detected in South Africa, the health ministry said Friday."The variant discovered in southern African states has been identified in Israel," the ministry said, adding it was recorded "in a person who returned from Malawi".The Health Ministry said in a statement Friday that the traveller and two other suspected cases have been placed in isolation.A new coronavirus variant has been detected in South Africa that scientists say is a concern because of its high number of mutations and rapid spread among young people in Gauteng, the country’s most populous province.

Late on Thursday, the government declared South Africa and six other African nations to be “red countries” from which foreign nationals are barred from travelling to Israel. Israelis returning from those countries must undergo a period of isolation. Israel launched one of the world’s first and most successful vaccination campaigns late last year, and nearly half the population has received a booster shot.News of its spread to Israel comes a day after scientists in South Africa said they had detected the new B.1.1.529 strain with at least 10 mutations, compared with two for Delta.The variant was of "serious concern" and had been blamed for a surge in infection numbers, authorities in South Africa said Thursday.It had also been detected in Botswana and Hong Kong among travellers from South Africa, they said.