Seoul, March 5 South Korea on Thursday confirmed 322 more cases of the COVID-19, raising the total number of infections to 6,088. Five more deaths were also reported, taking the toll to 41.
The number of infected patients totalled 6,088, up 322 from the previous announcement. The fatality rate from the virus stood at 0.6 per cent, Xinhua reported citing health officials.
The fatality rates rose to 4.5 per cent for those in their 70s and 5.6 per cent in their 80s or higher each.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) has updated the data twice a day at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
The virus infection soared for the past 15 days, with 5,735 new cases reported from February 19 to March 4. The country has raised its four-tier virus alert to the highest "red" level.
The total number of infections in Daegu, about 300 km from Seoul, and its surrounding North Gyeongsang province increased to 4,327 and 861 respectively as of midnight. It accounted for about 90 per cent of the total.
Daegu became the epicentre of the viral spread as the biggest cluster of infections was found in the metropolis with a 2.5 million population.
The Daegu cluster was closely linked to the church services of a home-grown minor religious sect called Sincheonji in Daegu.
The health authorities forecast that the growth rate of newly confirmed cases would slow down as the test on most of the Sincheonji followers with symptoms was completed.
Daegu has been designated by the government as a "special care zone".
The infection numbers in Seoul and its adjacent Gyeonggi province totalled 103 and 110 each.
Since January 3, the country has tested more than 140,000 people, among whom 118,965 tested negative for the virus and 21,810 were being checked.
Forty-seven more patients were discharged from quarantine after making full recovery, raising the combined number to 88.
( With inputs from IANS )