BEIJING, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- Beijing's Shunyi District has sampled over 1.29 million people for nucleic acid tests in a health screening following newly emerged COVID-19 cases, local authorities said Tuesday.

A medical worker collects sample to conduct nucleic acid test at a sampling site in Shunyi District of Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 28, 2020. (Photo: Xinhua)

Over 1.25 million of those sampled have tested negative and the rest of the results are yet to arrive, said Zhi Xianwei, deputy director of Shunyi at a press briefing.

Beijing reported seven new locally-transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases on Monday, according to the Beijing municipal health commission. The seven patients, who live in the Shunyi District, are all close contacts of earlier reported cases.

As of Tuesday noon, authorities in Shunyi had traced a total of 1,077 close contacts of confirmed cases and placed them under medical observation.