SHENYANG, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, is conducting nucleic acid tests for all residents in nine districts starting Thursday, local authorities said.

The extensive testing drive covering most urban areas is aimed at screening coronavirus infections, said the Shenyang municipal COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control headquarters.

The nucleic acid testing in the districts of Tiexi, Huanggu and Yuhong is expected to be completed in three days while that for six other districts should be over within five days, the headquarters added.

Shenyang has also imposed lockdown measures on the medium-risk areas, banning all the local residents from leaving the city. People from other areas of the city must furnish negative nucleic acid test results conducted within the past 72 hours to leave the city. Shenyang administers 10 districts, one county-level city and two counties.

Liaoning on Wednesday reported five confirmed COVID-19 cases and three asymptomatic cases, all locally transmitted, the provincial health commission said Thursday.

Three of the new confirmed cases were in the port city of Dalian, while two others were in Shenyang. The three new asymptomatic cases were reported in Dalian.

By Wednesday, the province had 58 confirmed cases in hospital and another 33 asymptomatic carriers under quarantine and receiving treatment, according to the commission.