Feb 5, 2022 - Sports

45 new COVID-19 cases reported at Beijing Winter Olympics

Erin Doherty

"Even though the general number is increasing it is within our expectation," — A medical staff member collects a daily mandatory COVID-19 swab sample from a member of the media on Feb. 4 in Beijing. Photo: Annice Lyn/Getty Images

A total of 45 new COVID-19 cases were reported by organizers of the Beijing Olympics on Friday, AP reports.

Driving the news: Athletes and officials comprise 25 of the cases, which includes 20 cases that were detected in individuals arriving at the Beijing airport. Five additional cases were detected in PCR tests from people already at the Games.

20 cases were also reported among Olympic personnel, including 14 individuals who tested positive inside the Olympic bubble. Six other cases were detected at the airport.
"Even though the general number is increasing, it is within our expectation," said Huang Chun, the Games' deputy director-general of the office of pandemic prevention and control, Reuters reports.
"We think the number will start to decrease."

The big picture: A total of 353 individuals associated with the Games have tested positive since Jan. 23, both at the airport and in the closed Olympic loop, per Reuters.

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45 new COVID-19 cases reported at Beijing Winter Olympics

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