The two new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases reported in Beijing on Sunday are highly homologous with the recent strain of the coronavirus variant in the UK, Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told a press briefing Wednesday.

The two cases, a female and a male, were reported in the city's Daxing District. The female, aged 63, was found positive during a nucleic acid test, while the male, aged 46, is a close contact of the female.