S.Korea reports 47 more COVID-19 cases, 10,331 in total

South Korea reported 47 more cases of the COVID-19 compared to 24 hours ago as of midnight Tuesday local time, raising the total number of infections to 10,331.

Six more deaths were confirmed, lifting the death toll to 192. The total fatality rate came in at 1.86 percent.

A total of 96 more patients were discharged from quarantine after making full recovery, pulling up the combined number to 6,694. The total recovery rate was 64.8 percent.

Except for the first 31 cases, all the infections have been reported since Feb. 19. The country has raised is four-tier virus alert to the highest "red" level.

The total number of infections in Daegu, about 300 km southeast of Seoul, and its surrounding North Gyeongsang province increased to 6,794 and 1,317 respectively. It accounted for almost 80 percent of the total.

The numbers in Seoul and its adjacent Gyeonggi province came to 567 and 590 each.

Infections were still found in Daegu, Seoul, and Gyeonggi province. Of the new cases, 16 were imported cases.

Daegu became the epicenter of the viral spread here as the biggest cluster of infections was found in the metropolis with a 2.5 million population. Daegu has been designated by the government as a "special disaster zone."

xinhua