The South Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) has reported 13 more coronavirus cases compared to 24 hours ago as of midnight Monday local time. Thus, raising the total number of infections to 10,674.
KCDC used to announce the updated figures on COVID-19 twice a day, Xinhua reported. According to refreshed data, the daily caseload hovered below 30 for the eighth consecutive day. Of the new cases, seven were imported from overseas, raising the combined number to 1,006.
While two more deaths were confirmed, lifting the death toll to 236, a total of 72 more patients were discharged from quarantine after making full recovery. Now, in South Korea, the total fatality rate is 2.21 percent, while the total recovery rate is 76.0 percent.
Except for the first 30 cases, all the infections have been reported since Feb. 18. The country has raised its four-tier virus alert to the highest “red” level.
The epicentre (80 percent of the total) of the South Korean COVID-19 cases is still Daegu and its surrounding North Gyeongsang province. In total, 6,833 and 1,361 respectively.
Since March 10, Daegu, a metropolis with a 2.5-million population, has been designated by the government as a “special disaster zone.” The Daegu cluster was closely linked to the church services of a homegrown minor religious sect, called Sincheonji, in Daegu. Members of the sect are known to sit on the floor closely side by side during church services.
In January, South Korea has reacted immediately on the coronavirus challenge, the country has tested more than 563,000 people, among whom 540,380 tested negative for the virus and 11,981 were being checked.
