SEOUL, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- South Korea raised its four-tier virus alert to the highest "red" level on Sunday amid the soaring COVID-19 cases in recent days.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in convened an emergency government meeting to tackle the virus spread, saying the infectious disease alert would be lifted to the highest level in order to strengthen the overall response system.
It marked the first time since the outbreak of the Influenza A (H1N1) in 2009 that the government issued the highest alert level.
As of 4:00 p.m. local time, the number of infected patients totaled 602, up 169 from the previous day. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) has updated the figure twice a day at 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. local time. The death toll rose from two to five.
