SHENYANG -- Two communities in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning province, were upgraded to medium-risk areas for COVID-19 after a new case was reported, the city headquarters in charge of COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control said on Dec 24.

Both communities are in Yuhong District, where the patient and her close contacts live.

A woman who returned from the Republic of Korea on Nov. 29 tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday after being released from two weeks of medical isolation. Her nucleic acid and serum antibody tests all returned negative during her quarantine.

The patient has been transferred to a designated hospital for treatment and nucleic acid testing is underway for those in nearby key areas.