ISRAEL REPORTS DELTA SUBVARIANT

Israel has confirmed a case of a subvariant of the Delta strain previously reported in some European countries, the health ministry said.

An 11-year-old boy arriving from Europe was the carrier, the ministry said, adding that the case was identified at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. The boy was quarantined and no further contacts have been discovered, it added.

The AY 4.2. variant has turned up several times in the UK. The variant was discovered as Israel considers loosening restrictions on tourism following a drop in cases.An earlier plan to reopen the borders foundered amid a rise in cases driven by the Delta strain.In late August and early September, new cases topped 11,000 a day.