A doctor records information of patients’ throat swabs samples at a laboratory department of Shanxi Bethune Hospital in Taiyuan, capital of North China's Shanxi Province. Photo:China News Service

Two new imported cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Shanghai on Thursday, involving Chinese citizens returning from the US and Italy respectively, while Beijing confirmed one imported case from the UK.The newly diagnosed patient in Shanghai is a Guangdong Province resident, working in the US. The person left New York, the US on Monday and arrived at the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport on Tuesday transiting via Hong Kong. The person was picked up directly from the airport by his/her family, following which the person has been quarantined at home. After some clinical symptoms appeared, the person was sent to a hospital on Thursday and subsequently tested positive, said the local health commission.The second confirmed patient in Shanghai hails from Zhejiang Province and is working in Italy. The person departed from Bologna, Italy on Tuesday and arrived at the Pudong International Airport on Wednesday transiting through Moscow, Russia. After spotting some symptoms upon arrival in Shanghai, authorities transferred the traveler to a designated quarantine center. He later tested positive for COVID-19.The confirmed new case in Beijing is from the UK. Besides, nine other suspected COVID-19 cases were also reported in Beijing on Thursday, three from the Netherlands, two from Italy, one from South Korea, one from France, one from Austria, and one a local citizen, according to media reports.As of Thursday, Shanghai reported eight COVID-19 cases from overseas, including Iran, Italy, and the US. The city has reported 346 infections, with 321 discharges upon recovery.So far, the total imported COVID19 cases from overseas in the Chinese mainland reached 88.Global Times