On February 1, Israel's public broadcaster Kan reported that several individuals recently infected with the Omicron variant have now tested positive for its BA.2 subvariant. This suggests that prior vaccinations, boosters, and infections may not fully protect against this emerging COVID threat.
Journalists at i24NEWS provided reassurance, noting: "There are currently fewer than a dozen cases, and it's unclear if these individuals had underlying comorbidities."
Since January, experts have known about reinfection risks from Omicron following Delta variant infections, though symptoms were typically milder. The risk is even higher for those who had asymptomatic cases, resulting in weaker immune responses.
This pattern is repeating with the BA.2 subvariant, raising alarms among health authorities. BA.2 is significantly more transmissible than the BA.1 strain—up to 30% more contagious—potentially leading to a third more cases overall.
