Beijing reports first local Omicron case weeks ahead of Olympic games

Chinese capital city Beijing reported its first locally transmitted Omicron case on Saturday, states local media. This comes just a few weeks before the Olympic games. Pang Xinghuo, an official at the city's disease control authority, while speaking at a news briefing said that the lab testing found "mutations specific to the Omicron variant" in the person.

The residential compound of the infected person has been sealed as of now. His workplace has also been sealed. 

Officials collected 2,430 testing samples from people who were linked to the location. 

China has imposed a lockdown in several cities including Xi'an and Henan province. Health officials had put Xi'an city under strict lockdown as the city registered over 2,000 Covid cases in a month. 

Also read | After Xi’an, China locks down another city as Omicron cases detected

The city has become the epicentre of the virus as it recorded domestically-transmitted epidemic since the Wuhan outbreak.

Earlier this week, the authorities moved to lockdown Anyang city after 58 coronavirus cases were reported including two Omicron cases.

Chinese health officials had earlier imposed restrictions in the northern city of Tianjin as the Omicron variant spread in the area.

Tianjin had reported 21 cases of the domestically transmitted virus as authorities moved to clamp down on the movement of residents. 

(With inputs from agencies)