The case, reported in the southern city of Guangzhou on Tuesday, came a day after health authorities in the northern port city of Tianjin said they detected mainland China’s first Omicron infection — also in a traveler who arrived from overseas.
The Tianjin case was identified as an asymptomatic carrier on arrival. The individual was already in quarantine while genome sequencing confirmed he had the Omicron variant — suggesting the variant had not been directly exposed to local residents.
The second case, a 67-year-old man, entered China on November 27 in Shanghai and underwent two weeks of centralized quarantine, during which he repeatedly tested negative. The man then flew from Shanghai to Guangzhou on AirChina flight CA1837. AirChina staff confirmed to CNN the flight was nearly full, with all economy seats taken and only six seats remaining in business class.
The man then entered into home quarantine. He was tested again on December 12 — a full 15 days after first arriving in China, with the result coming back positive in the early hours of December 13. Subsequent genome sequencing reviewed by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed it was the Omicron variant, according to authorities.
Unlike the Tianjin case, the man has been diagnosed as a confirmed case — meaning he has symptoms. He is now being treated in isolation in hospital, officials said. Following his diagnosis, 10,544 people connected to the man have been tested for the virus — so far all results have returned negative.
Much remains unknown about the fast-spreading Omicron variant, including its incubation period. The variant carries an unusually large number of mutations that scientists worry could potentially…
Source : cnn
