Delta variant dominant as Beijing tops China’s Covid-19 tally
- Chinese capital accounted for 20 of the 54 cases reported nationwide on Saturday, with Hangzhou at No 2
- Beijing’s caseload has risen to 105 since Covid-19 returned to the city on January 15, and cases in the Olympic bubble are also growing
China’s capital and Games co-host city topped the local cases tally for Saturday, accounting for 20 of the 54 new infections reported nationwide.
Another 19 were detected in Hangzhou, capital of eastern Zhejiang province, the National Health Commission said.
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Beijing residents both excited and concerned as the city gears up to host the Winter Olympics
The latest infections take Beijing’s caseload to 105 since Covid-19 returned to the city on January 15, as outbreaks elsewhere in the country abate following weeks of extreme measures to cut the transmission chain. Six of the Beijing cases involved the Omicron variant, and the rest were Delta.
Of these, 16 are athletes and team officials, and the rest are “other stakeholders”, which usually refers to the media and Games partners. The case total in the Olympic bubble has grown to 139 since January 23, with the opening ceremony to take place on Friday.
The event is being held under strict coronavirus restrictions, with all participants – from athletes to journalists – kept completely separate from the general population. Local cases are also counted separately from the Olympic tallies.
