Ahead of Winter Olympics, Beijing reports first local Omicron case: Report

Weeks ahead of the Winter Olympics, China's capital Beijing has reported its first locally transmitted infection of Omicron variant, local media reported on Sunday.

Weeks ahead of the Winter Olympics, China's capital Beijing has reported its first locally transmitted infection of Omicron variant, local media reported on Sunday. Global Times reported citing Beijing authorities that they have confirmed that a new local COVID-19 case reported on Saturday belongs to the Omicron strain.

According to an official statement, the patient had visited several entertainment venues, including shops, cafes, and a talk show event, in movements tracked since December 31. Xu Hejian, a spokesperson for the Beijing municipal government, said that Beijing has entered Winter Olympic time, and is facing double pressure of domestic and imported cases, while the new case reported today rings alarm bell for the city's COVID-19 prevention work, Global Times reported.

The infection comes less than three weeks before the Winter Olympic Games' opening ceremony on February 4, and around two weeks before the start of the Lunar New Year celebrations in China. Meanwhile, the Chinese mainland has reported 65 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, local media citing the National Health Commission reported on Sunday. 

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)