Local residents walk along the Nanjing Road in Shanghai (Photo: Yang Hui/GT)

A "suspected" COVID-19 case in Shanghai's Songjiang district has led to testing of the person's close contacts, said the district's epidemic prevention and control office, and no other cases have been found as of Sunday.

During routine screening for the coronavirus in the district, one person's nucleic acid testing showed "suspect" results, said the district's epidemic prevention and control office in a short news release.

A local hospital immediately placed the person under quarantine and initiated an epidemiological investigation.

The case stirred heated discussions on social media with netizens asking for clarification and wanting to know if the patient had actually tested positive or is asymptomatic.

The district authority replied on its official WeChat account saying that although the patient's nucleic acid test result was "suspect," the patient did not meet the diagnostic criteria of COVID-19 infection. The district provided no other details on the case, but urged local residents to monitor their own health.

Songjiang district is in southwest Shanghai, about 50 kilometers from Pudong New Area where several people were recently officially diagnosed with COVID-19.