Beijing reports first Omicron case 3 weeks before Winter Olympics
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People lining up for Covid-19 tests in Beijing on Jan 14, 2022.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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BEIJING (BLOOMBERG, REUTERS) - The Chinese capital Beijing on Saturday (Jan 15) reported its first locally transmitted infection of the highly transmissible Omicron coronavirus variant, adding pressure on 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 on Saturday (Jan 15).
People who have had contact with the patient are being tested, and those who were at locations that the infected person visited must report to authorities, they said.
Officials have sealed up the infected person’s residential compound and workplace, and collected 2,430 samples for testing from people linked to the two locations, a Haidian district official said.
Omicron cases were confirmed earlier on Saturday in Shanghai and Zhuhai city in Guangdong province, as the National Health Commission warned of possible outbreaks in those areas.
China had already reported locally transmitted infections of the Omicron variant in the northern city of Tianjin, the central province of Henan, and the north-eastern province of Liaoning. However, the total number Omicron cases remains unclear.
The country’s virus prevention measures are “effective” in containing Omicron, a health official said at a National Health Commission briefing earlier in the day.
The Winter Olympics start on Feb 4 in Beijing. Cities across China have ratcheted up viral vigilance as Beijing prepares to stage the Olympics.
China reported fewer new confirmed coronavirus cases for Friday (Jan 14) than a day earlier, but details on the spread of the Omicron variant remained unclear ahead of the Chinese New Year travel season later this month.
In a statement on Saturday (Jan 15), China's National Health Commission (NHC) reported 165 new confirmed coronavirus cases for Jan 14, down from 201 a day earlier.
Of the new infections, 104 were locally transmitted, according to a statement by the National Health Commission, compared with 143 a day earlier.
The new locally transmitted cases were in Henan, Tianjin, Guangdong, Shaanxi and Zhejiang.
There were no new deaths, leaving the death toll at 4,636.
As of Jan 14, mainland China had 104,745 confirmed cases.
Many local governments have advised residents not to leave town unnecessarily, while dozens of international and domestic flights have been suspended.
