Beijing health authorities confirmed the city's first case of the highly contagious Omicron variant of COVID-19 on Saturday.

"A total of 15 close contacts have been traced and put into quarantine," Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Beijing center for disease control and prevention, told a press conference.

"The individual has no contact with any confirmed cases and hasn't left the city within 14 days," Pang added.

The patient had a sore throat on Thursday and developed a fever the next day. Two people living with the case were tested negative.

Disinfection has been conducted at their residential community and an epidemiological investigation is underway.