BEIJING – China on Monday reported its first case of Omicron, the new variant of coronavirus that is spreading across the world at fast pace.
Authorities in the northern city of Tianjin said that the virus was found in a person who entered the country from an undisclosed overseas location, according to the Tianjin Daily newspaper.
The asymptomatic patient tested positive for Covid-19 last week before further tests “confirmed the detection of the… Omicron variant”, the report said. The patient has been isolated, adding that the person has been isolated at hospital.
Disease control agencies have ordered tougher measures in port cities like Tianjin, which lies around 140 kilometres (87 miles) from the capital, to prevent the outbreak of Omicron.
Omicron appears to spread faster than the Delta variant, making vaccines less effective but causing less severe symptoms, the World Health Organization said Sunday.
China has controlled the increase of new virus cases by imposing strict border restriction, mass testing and targeted lockdowns.
