Beijing Olympics Covid-19 cases rise to 78 as medical panel aims for balanced approach
- A Winter Games team member and five stakeholders tested positive for the virus and are in isolation until they return two negative tests
- Head of medical expert panel Brian McCloskey says a number of factors will be considered when deciding someone is no longer a risk
It is not known if the team member is an athlete or official, but the cases were picked up on Sunday during testing of 529 Olympic-related arrivals at Beijing Capital International Airport. The arrivals included 153 athletes and team officials, along with 376 other stakeholders – a category that includes the media and Games partners.
At a technical briefing on Sunday, officials from the International Olympic Committee said those who tested positive had been isolated and their close contacts identified, in accordance with the Beijing 2022 Olympics playbook.
Participants in the Games are already in a “closed loop” on arrival in Beijing, to minimise the risk of spreading Covid-19 in a city that is already battling to contain outbreaks of the Omicron and Delta variants.
According to the playbook, which gives a blueprint for how to manage Covid-19 during the Games, positive cases will be able to take part once they have returned two negative tests.
Whether participants who test positive can be released back to the Games largely depends on the results of their polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. These detect the genetic fingerprints of the virus, including the fragments that will not infect others.
Dr Brian McCloskey, chairman of the Beijing 2022 Medical Expert Panel, said on Sunday the panel would not be relying on single PCR test results when making its decisions, but would take account of several factors as part of a balanced approach.