First Omicron Infection Case in Mainland China Boards Plane Just Before Positive Diagnosis

Concerns Over the Spread of Local Infections

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Concerns over the spread of local infections within China are growing as it has been confirmed that an Omicron-infected person identified in Guangzhou, China, boarded a domestic flight just before testing positive.

According to the state-run Global Times on the 16th, a man in his 60s from Guangzhou who tested positive for Omicron entered Shanghai on a flight from Canada on the 27th of last month. During his 14-day quarantine, he underwent four tests, all of which returned negative results.

He then took a domestic flight on the 11th to return home to Guangzhou and self-isolated. However, on the 13th, a real-time test confirmed his infection.

All 799 passengers who were on the same Canada-origin flight as this confirmed case tested negative. However, since the patient was diagnosed after the usual incubation period (14 days), experts caution that it is too early to be reassured.

The Global Times also reported that a flight attendant on a Poland Warsaw-origin flight, on which a teenage Polish national who tested positive for Omicron in Tianjin on the 13th was a passenger, has also tested positive. However, it has not been confirmed whether the infection is Omicron.

The confirmed cases in Tianjin and Guangzhou are the first Omicron infection cases on mainland China. As concerns over further local spread increase, Tianjin health authorities have formed a special medical team to respond to the Omicron spread prevention. Guangdong provincial authorities have also begun testing all residents in Dongguan, near Guangzhou, where there is a high population flow.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.