Qingdao in Shandong province reported a new confirmed locally-transmitted COVID-19 case and eight asymptomatic carriers in the city's Huangdao district on Thursday.

All the cases are among key groups of people required to undergo routine nucleic acid tests, according to Qingdao Municipal Health Commission.

The commission said they are workers at a warehouse of imported cold-chain commodities. All of their nucleic acid tests showed positive on Wednesday and were immediately sent to hospital by ambulance.

An experts' panel then diagnosed one confirmed case with light symptom and eight asymptomatic cases in line with epidemiological investigation, clinical manifestation and lab results, the commission said.

Currently, 104 of their contacts have been traced and are under isolated medical observation. Their nucleic acids testing have been negative so far, the commission added.