A second case of the Omicron coronavirus variant was discovered in Israel, the state-owned Kan TV news reported Sunday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
The patient is a vaccinated woman who returned from South Africa, and was found positive in a genetic sequencing testing conducted by the Israeli Ministry of Health, the Kan TV said.
The Home Front Command unit of the Israeli army has begun an epidemiological investigation to locate close contacts of the patient, while the health ministry is waiting for further results regarding additional returning travellers suspected of having contracted the new variant, it added.
On Friday, the ministry reported the first case of Omicron in Israel, which was discovered in a genomic sequencing test of a women who returned from Malawi.
On Saturday night, the Israeli government decided to ban the entry of foreign nationals into the country in an attempt to stop the spread of the new variant.
The announcement came after a late-night cabinet meeting that discussed reinstatement of restrictions against the pandemic.