What’s new: Tianjin has detected the omicron coronavirus variant in an overseas arrival, becoming the first place on the Chinese mainland to discover an omicron case.
Health authorities in the northern city said the patient was initially identified as a Covid-19 asymptomatic carrier on Thursday, according to state-run broadcaster CCTV.
The case was later confirmed as an omicron infection on Monday, after the local disease control center carried out genome sequencing of the patient’s respiratory tract samples, the CCTV report said.
The patient, who was managed inside a “closed-loop management system” for overseas arrivals, has been transferred to a designated hospital for isolation and treatment, the report added.
The background: The new Covid variant was first detected in South Africa and has spread to more than 60 countries including Japan and Israel, according to the World Health Organization.
Late last month, Hong Kong reported two omicron cases, becoming the first place in China to detect the variant. Despite the onset of omicron, Hong Kong authorities said Tuesday they are still proceeding with plans to open the border with the mainland, Bloomberg reported.
Contact reporter Wang Xintong (xintongwang@caixin.com) and editor Bertrand Teo (bertrandteo@caixin.com)
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