Cracks in Beijing Olympic bubble: 36 infections, seven in ‘closed circle’

Cracks in Beijing Olympic bubble: 36 infections, seven in ‘closed loop’

Despite very strict measures, the number of corona infections among people involved in the Beijing Winter Olympics is rising rapidly. Nineteen positive tests were registered on Friday among athletes and employees, bringing the total number of positive tests to 36. Seven of these were identified in one of the three Olympic Games closed loop bubbles. Brian McCloskey, the head of the medical expert panel, says that because of the many travelers he had at this time taken into account rising infection numbers, Reuters news agency reported.

The Winter Games in China are taking place in repressive conditions. Bubbles have been created at three locations, where athletes and supervisors are taken in special trains. There they are completely cut off from the rest of the country and they have to do a daily PCR test. Persons diagnosed with an infection are immediately isolated and transferred to a quarantine hotel. There, infected people can only leave after two negative PCR tests at least 24 hours apart.

‘Toothbrushing’
For the athletes, the run-up to the games means a time of few contact moments and hope that contamination is prevented. “It is now annoying that you have to get up a little earlier every morning for the PCR test,” Russian ice hockey player Anton Slepyshev told the RIA news agency. “In a few days it will be fixed when you brush your teeth.”

The Olympics start next Friday, February 4 and last until February 20. The Dutch chef de mission and former speed skater Carl Verheijen arrived in Beijing on Saturday. He traveled to China later than planned, because he tested positive for the corona virus two weeks ago. At last year’s summer games in Tokyo, several members of the Dutch team became infected after they traveled to Japan on the same scheduled flight.

Number of corona patients in hospitals decreased slightly to 1,129

The number of patients admitted to Dutch hospitals with Covid-19 decreased slightly between Friday and Saturday. There will be 1,129 corona patients in hospitals on Saturday, twelve fewer than on Friday. This is apparent from the daily figures update of the National Coordination Center for Patients Spreading (LCPS).

There are 213 patients with Covid-19 in ICUs, which is 25 fewer than a day earlier. The number of corona patients in regular nursing wards has increased by 13 to 916 patients. A total of 174 new patients were admitted to the hospitals: 10 in an ICU and 164 in a nursing ward.