China has detected its first cases of the omicron coronavirus variant in two patients who had recently returned to the country from abroad, state media reported this week.
One of the two patients was identified in Tianjin, while staying at a quarantine facility. A local health official said Tuesday that the patient, who has been transferred to a designated hospital for coronavirus treatment, does not have a cough or a fever.
China is one of the last countries maintaining a zero-tolerance covid policy, with Beijing requiring all inbound travelers to quarantine for two to three weeks and to undergo repeated testing.
Authorities from the southern city of Guangzhou reported one case of the omicron variant Tuesday. The patient was a 67-year-old man who tested positive while under home quarantine; he had completed two weeks of quarantine in dedicated facilities in Shanghai and was allowed to fly to Guangzhou on Saturday.
China is battling a spate of cases in Zhejiang province, where about 200 infections have been detected since last week. To clamp down on the spread, regional travel restrictions will be in place until March, according to provincial officials.
The Chinese mainland on Tuesday reported 50 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, the National Health Commission said in its daily report on Wednesday.
Of the new local cases, 45 were reported in Zhejiang, three in Inner Mongolia, and two in Guangdong, the commission said.
Also reported were 17 new imported cases in eight provincial-level regions, according to the commission.
