Nine new A/H1N1 flu cases were confirmed on the Chinese mainland on Sunday, bringing the total number to 33.

One case was confirmed in Beijing, one each in Fujian and Zhejiang provinces and Shanghai, and five in Guangdong Province.

The latest confirmed patient in Guangdong -- a 22-year-old beautician surnamed Xue who works at a wedding photography studio in Guangzhou, the provincial capital -- became the second case of local transmission on the mainland.

She had close contact with a 28-year-old Chinese-American man surnamed Li, who developed a sore throat on May 24 after he flew from New York to Guangzhou, via Incheon, in the Republic of Korea. On Monday and Tuesday, he and his girlfriend spent two days with studio workers, including the beautician, taking bridal photos.

Another beautician at the studio surnamed Dai was confirmed to be infected with A/H1N1 on Friday.

The Guangdong Health Department said late Sunday three new cases in Shenzhen were confirmed. They include two Chinese sisters aged 18 and 20 who flew back from New York on Thursday and a 13-year-old Canadian girl who arrived in Shenzhen from Canada on Saturday.

Earlier Sunday, a 23-year-old Chinese Venezuelan in Foshan, Guangdong, was confirmed to have A/H1N1. The female college student left Venezuela Tuesday and flew to Guangzhou Wednesday via Paris, and relatives drove her back to Foshan City, the provincial health department said.

The Guangdong Center for Disease Control and Prevention also confirmed on Sunday that it had found an A/H1N1 virus carrier, but he showed no flu symptoms.

The carrier -- a 19-year-old man who had close contact with two confirmed cases in Shenzhen -- tested positive for the flu strain on Thursday. After having some preventive medicine, he tested negative for the virus on Sunday.

The center said the man had shown no flu symptoms and was healthy.

The finding proved the assumption of foreign experts that cases of covert A/H1N1 infection existed, said He Jianfeng, director of the epidemic prevention and treatment institute under the center.

"It is of significance in adjusting prevention and control strategies and proves again the necessity of quarantine measures for those who have close contact with confirmed cases," he said.

The Fujian case, the fourth confirmed in the province, flew in from New York to Hong Kong via Vancouver on Tuesday. He then flew to Fuzhou, provincial capital of Fujian, on Thursday morning, the Fujian Health Department said.

He showed symptoms of fever and a cough on Saturday and was treated in the Lianjiang County Hospital. On Sunday, he was transferred to the Fuzhou Pulmonary Hospital.

The results of tests conducted by the Fuzhou city and Fujian provincial disease control and prevention centers confirmed he was A/H1N1 positive.

The new Beijing case is a 7-year-old Chinese Canadian girl who flew from Canada to Beijing Saturday afternoon. She went directly to the Ditan Hospital on arrival after her temperature was measured at 38.1 degrees Celsius at the airport.