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China Detects First Case of Omicron as Country Continues Covid-Zero Strategy

China is only reporting about 100 new cases of covid-19 each day in a country of 1.4 billion.

People walk by an ad for DIOR outside a new location set to open at a shopping area on November 24, 2021 in Beijing, China.
People walk by an ad for DIOR outside a new location set to open at a shopping area on November 24, 2021 in Beijing, China.
Photo: Kevin Frayer (Getty Images)

The first covid-19 case of the new omicron variant has been detected in mainland China, according to state media outlet CGTN. The omicron case was detected in someone who was reportedly asymptomatic and arriving from outside China, according to the broadcaster.

Details about the person with omicron have not been released, but the case was first detected in Tianjin in tests first conducted on December 9. The unnamed patient was never roaming free in the community and has been in managed isolation since entering China, according to CGTN.

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The Chinese government is still operating under a so-called covid-zero policy in an effort to keep the country almost entirely free of the disease. Over half a dozen countries were pursuing similar policies at the start of 2021, including Singapore, New Zealand, and Vietnam, but all, aside from China, have since abandoned that strategy.

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China, a country of 1.4 billion people, reported just 76 new cases of covid-19 on Tuesday, 25 of which were people arriving from overseas and staying in managed quarantine. The country has seen just 99,856 confirmed cases of covid-19 and 4,636 deaths from the disease since the start of the pandemic, according to the country’s National Health Commission, though China is unique in not counting asymptomatic cases of the coronavirus in its pandemics tallies.

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Some experts have questioned how long China can hold on to the covid-zero strategy, aided by mass testing, strict border controls, and high vaccination rates. One city, Harbin, is even offering a reward of $1,500 to residents who report their covid-19 symptoms. But pundits speculate Beijing may relax restrictions and its no tolerance approach to covid-19 after the 2022 Olympics start in China this coming February.

Whatever China decides to do after the Olympics, there’s no doubt its draconian tactics actually helped control spread of the virus, especially compared to wealthy countries like the U.S. and UK. The UK reported 53,593 new covid-19 cases on Monday and 38 deaths, including its first death from omicron.

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The U.S. reported 201,930 new covid-19 cases on Monday and 1,286 new deaths, though it’s not clear how many cases are the new omicron variant. A report out of Washington state suggests omicron is spreading quickly, where about 13% of the cases on Wednesday were omicron, according to the New York Times. The day before, a week ago today, it was just 7% of cases, and the day before that it was just 3%.