We have detected a case of the new subvariant in a 50-year-old individual, the official said in statements on Sada El-Balad television, without specifying whether he was Egyptian or foreign.
It is as contagious as Omicron, but has no serious effects on people, Abdel-Ghaffar stressed.
According to official data, more than 515,000 Egyptians have contracted Covid-19, of which around 24,800 have died.
The presidential health adviser, Mohamed Awad Taj El-Din, stressed over the weekend that the epidemiological situation in the country is under control due to the few cases reported in recent weeks.
However, he urged citizens to get vaccinated against the disease, noting that there are still many infections in the world.
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