China's Tianjin reports 49 locally confirmed COVID-19 cases

The northern Chinese city of Tianjin has reported 49 locally confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday amid the emergence of the Omicron COVID-19 variant cases in the country.

A total of 97 people had tested positive for COVID-19 in Tianjin, a municipality of 13.86 million people that neighbours Beijing, in the latest resurgence, Xinhua reported citing local authorities.

The cases include 49 locally transmitted confirmed cases and 15 asymptomatic carriers as well as others who tested positive but are awaiting confirmation, as per Xinhua.

Earlier, China reported its first community spread Omicron cases, with two people confirmed with the coronavirus variant in Tianjin city, a Singapore-based newspaper The Strait Times stated citing local media reports.

Meanwhile, China clamped lockdown in the multimillion city of Anyang of Henan province, following the emergence of the Omicron COVID-19 variant cases in the city.

Sputnik News Agency reported that in Anyang, with the population exceeding five million people, the residents are prohibited from leaving their homes, according to a statement published late on Monday by the city's centre for the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the media outlet, the city has also introduced a traffic ban, except for special-purpose transport.

On Sunday, two local cases of the Omicron infection were detected in the city. This is the second city in China to announce cases of infection with the new COVID-19 strain, Sputnik News Agency reported.

It further reported that on December 13, 2021 health authorities in Tianjin reported the first case of the Omicron infection in mainland China. Previously, Hong Kong and Taiwan reported cases of infection with the Omicron variant.

( With inputs from ANI )