China reports jump in COVID 19 cases among Olympic athletes and staff, 11 people hospitalized

As many as eleven staffers have been hospitalized with COVID-19 at the Beijing Winter Olympics. Brian McCloskey, medical chief of the Beijing Winter Games, confirmed the news on Wednesday.

According to the data, at least 232 people have tested positive in the Chinese capital since January 23. Organizers recorded 32 cases in the past 24 hours, 15 of which were among new arrivals in Beijing.

McCloskey stated that all hospitalized individuals are out of danger. He further added that positive cases will start to drop once all the participants arrive at the Chinese capital. More than 5,40,000 tests have been conducted in Beijing since January 23.

About 3,000 athletes, along with coaches, officials, federation delegates and media are expected to be a part of the Winter Games.

McCloskey stated that strict protocols will be followed at the Games village. Athletes and staff will not be allowed to move freely in public and will be tested on a daily basis in an effort to identify any spread within the loop quickly. He said:

"Since Jan. 23 there have been 232 cases, 163 from the airport and 69 from the closed loop. At the moment, we have seen no significant spread within the loop. They (numbers of positive cases) won't go down immediately but when we get to a stable number of people, then we expect it to go down."

McCloskey added:

The reality is every country in the world has a higher level of COVID-19 than China does. In contrast to many countries seeking to live with COVID-19, China has isolated itself with a zero-tolerance policy, canceling nearly all international flights. All participants are arriving on special charter flights."

Manager of India's Winter Olympics contingent tests positive for COVID-19

The manager of the Indian contingent for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics has tested positive for COVID-19. Indian skier Arif Khan, along with chef de mission Harjinder Singh and support staff, left for the Chinese capital on February 1.

Abbas Wani, on his arrival at the Beijing Airport, tested positive for COVID 19. Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Narinder Batra in a statement informed that Wani had tested positive for the virus. Meanwhile, Arif Khan and his coach have been shifted to a separate space.