Beijing reports 1st case of Omicron coronavirus variant

The Beijing government said Saturday that it has detected its first case of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, just weeks ahead of the Winter Olympics in the capital.In recent months, community infections with the highly contagious variant were confirmed in Tianjin with a population of 14 million, known as a key gateway to Beijing.The number of infections in China has been increasing in the run-up to the Olympics slated to start Feb. 4 despite the ruling Communist Party's radical "zero corona" policy, including locking down major cities and suspending all public transportation.In Xian,…READ FULL ARTICLE