Beijing ordered mass testing for its 21 million citizens on Tuesday after nucleic acid tests of 3.5 million residents found 32 positive cases on Monday. At the same time, officials said that Shanghai reported 52 additional deaths, bringing the current outbreak's death toll to 190.

The Chinese capital, which, like Shanghai, is combating the spread of the Omicron variety, has ordered mass testing in 11 of its districts beginning Tuesday, effectively covering the whole city's 21 million residents.

Beijing has announced 32 new local COVID-19 cases and one asymptomatic case following Monday's testing of 3.5 million people in the high-profile Chaoyang neighborhood, bringing 135 cases.

Beijing's local administration has ordered three rounds of mass nucleic acid testing beginning Monday in Chaoyang district, home to over 3.5 million citizens. State media said that the community registered the most COVID-19 cases during the capital's recent epidemic rise.

According to officials, the same tests will be conducted again on Wednesday and Friday.

According to a study released Tuesday by the National Health Commission, the Chinese mainland recorded 1,908 locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases, 1,661 were in Shanghai.

On Monday, Shanghai also reported 15,319 locally transmitted asymptomatic cases of the novel coronavirus, adding to the mainland's total of 15,816 newly discovered local asymptomatic carriers.

According to the report, apart from Shanghai, the mainland's 17 other provincial-level regions reported new local COVID-19 cases, including 91 in Jiangxi, 44 in Jilin, and 32 in Beijing.

As of Monday, 28,726 patients with COVID-19 were being treated in hospitals.

Monday witnessed 52 COVID-19 deaths in Shanghai, bringing the total to 190 for the current outbreak.

The deceased ranged in age from 100 to 83.1 years.

According to the local health commission, all 52 patients had significant underlying health problems.

With this, China's total death toll from the coronavirus has risen to 4,828 since it first surfaced in the central city of Wuhan in December 2019.