Live updates: follow the latest news on Covid-19 variant Omicron
The northern coastal city of Tianjin began testing its population of about 14 million on Sunday after at least two local cases of the highly transmissible Omicron coronavirus variant were detected, China's state media reported.
Residents in four districts would be tested over the next 24 hours while other districts would be tested the next day, the Tianjin government said.
Residents will get the green health code necessary to travel once they receive a negative result, it said.
The city advised residents not to leave for unnecessary reasons, the government said late on Saturday. So far, no full lockdown order has been given.
The Tianjin outbreak poses risks to Beijing and the coming Winter Olympics. Large number of commuters work and live in the two cities, the state-owned Global Times reported, citing an unidentified immunologist.
Commuters to Tianjin from Beijing have been asked to stay away, the Xinhua news agency reported.
The news comes after local transmission of the Omicron variant was found in the southern city of Guangzhou, according to a national health official in December, although the number of cases was not disclosed.
China reported 165 confirmed coronavirus cases for January 8, up from 159 a day earlier, its health authority said on Sunday.
Of the new infections, 92 were locally transmitted, according to a statement by the National Health Commission. This was up from 95 a day earlier.
Most of the new local cases were in Henan and Shaanxi provinces.
China reported 46 new asymptomatic cases, which it classifies separately from confirmed cases, compared with 52 a day earlier.
There were no new fatalities, leaving the death toll at 4,636. Mainland China had 103,619 confirmed cases as of Jan 8.
Omicron around the world - in pictures
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A man receives a fourth dose of the coronavirus disease vaccine after Israel's Health Ministry approved a second booster for the immunocompromised at Sheba Medical Centre in Ramat Gan, Israel. Reuters -
A health worker inoculates a boy at a vaccination centre in Bogota, Colombia. AFP -
Expo 2020 Dubai visitors are still arriving to enjoy the world's fair, where safety measures have been put in place to protect against the Omicron variant. Victor Besa / The National -
A cleaner uses sanitiser around Al Wasl Plaza at Expo. Victor Besa / The National -
A Covid-19 rapid test centre in Athens. AP -
French Health Minister Olivier Veran gives a speech to parliament during a debate on a bill to bring in a compulsory vaccine pass. EPA -
A girl crying just after she received her Covid-19 shot in Mumbai is comforted. India has begun vaccinating those aged 15 to 18. AP -
A man is vaccinated in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where there are fears the Omicron variant may cause a major rise in Covid-19 cases. EPA -
Pupils show their vaccination certificates during an inoculation drive in Jakarta, Indonesia. EPA -
Perched on his father's shoulders, a boy joins masked Japanese workers as they queue to offer prayers on the first business day of the year at the Kanda Myojin shrine Tokyo. Getty -
A patient is delivered to Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto amid fears of a wave of coronavirus cases in Canada. Reuters -
A teacher takes a pupil's temperature as face-to-face classes return in Mexico City. EPA -
Medics take part in a vaccination session day in Panama City. EPA -
Logan International Airport in Boston, where there have been cancellations and disruption owing to bad weather and Omicron. Reuters -
Volunteers hand out Covid-19 lateral flow tests provided by the British government in London. AFP -
At the New York Stock Exchange, markets were up slightly on the first morning of trading in the new year as Omicron cases begin to subside in South Africa. AFP -
People wait in line for a Covid-19 test in Los Angeles. AP -
A person receives a Covid-19 test in New York City. The US recorded more than a million cases on January 3 as the Omicron variant continued to spread. AFP -
Mascots walk past a sign for Covid-19 tests in New York City. AFP -
A nurse waits for a blood sample analysis in the Covid-19 intensive care unit at La Timone Hospital in Marseille, southern France. AP -
Suzanne, 5, is tested for Covid-19 in Albigny-sur-Saone, outside Lyon in central France. AP -
Students in Tokyo wearing masks take part in an annual New Year calligraphy contest. Last year's event was cancelled because of the pandemic. Reuters
