Zhang Boli, a government medical adviser, told state broadcaster CCTV on Sunday (January 16) that the Omicron variant is "not the same as the flu".

China on Monday reported 223 new confirmed COVID-19 cases for January 16, an increase from 119 a day earlier. The increase in infections was mainly driven by more cases in the cities of Tianjin and Anyang, where Omicron has been found in local clusters.

Tianjin and Anyang have reported slightly more than 600 local symptomatic infections from the current outbreaks, smaller than many clusters overseas, but authorities there have still limited movement within the cities and trips outside.