Beijing reports first case of variant ahead of Games

BEIJING • China's capital city Beijing has reported its first case of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, adding pressure on the authorities to stem a potential outbreak less than three weeks before the Winter Olympics begin.

Officials confirmed the detection of the highly contagious strain at a press conference yesterday.

People who have had contact with the patient are being tested, and those who were at locations the infected person visited must report to the authorities, they said.

Omicron cases were confirmed earlier yesterday in Shanghai and Guangdong province, as the National Health Commission (NHC) warned of possible outbreaks in those areas.

In its statement, the NHC reported a total of 165 new confirmed coronavirus cases for Friday, down from 201 on Thursday.

Of the new infections on Friday, 104 were locally transmitted, compared with 143 a day earlier. Cases were reported in areas including Xi'an, Tianjin, Zhengzhou and Shenzhen, and several residential buildings were locked down.

The country's virus prevention measures are "effective" in containing Omicron, a health official said at an NHC briefing earlier in the day.

The Winter Olympics start on Feb 4 in Beijing. The nation has pledged to put on a "simple, safe and splendid" Games, in contrast to the spectacle of the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008.

The Winter Games are also facing headwinds from a diplomatic boycott led by the United States.

As cities across China ratcheted up viral vigilance ahead of the Games, many local governments have advised residents not to leave town unnecessarily, while dozens of international and domestic flights have been suspended.

The country has reported locally transmitted infections of the highly contagious Omicron variant in at least four provinces and municipalities - in the northern city of Tianjin, the central province of Henan, the southern province of Guangdong and the north-eastern province of Liaoning.

The authorities have warned that Omicron adds to the increased risk of Covid-19 transmission as more people return to China from overseas for the Chinese New Year holiday next month.

NHC official He Qinghua said during the briefing yesterday that the Omicron variant was also detected in Shanghai, without specifying the case count.

He said the variant had been found in 14 provincial areas in China among infected individuals arriving from overseas.

China also reported 25 new asymptomatic cases for Friday, down from 42 infections a day earlier. China classifies asymptomatic cases separately from confirmed cases.

There were no new deaths, leaving the death toll at 4,636. As at Friday, mainland China had 104,745 confirmed cases.

BLOOMBERG, REUTERS