South Korean army soldiers in protective suits sterilize the Kim Kwangseok street in Daegu, South Korea, March 5, 2020. South Korea confirmed 322 more cases of the COVID-19 on Thursday afternoon, raising the total number of infections to 6,088. As of 4:00 p.m. local time, the number of infected patients totaled 6,088, up 322 from the previous announcement as of midnight. Five more deaths were reported, lifting the death toll to 41. (Photo by Lee Sang-ho/Xinhua)
SEOUL, March 5 (Xinhua) -- South Korea confirmed 322 more cases of the COVID-19 on Thursday afternoon, raising the total number of infections to 6,088.
As of 4:00 p.m. local time, the number of infected patients totaled 6,088, up 322 from the previous announcement as of midnight. Five more deaths were reported, lifting the death toll to 41.
The fatality rate from the virus here stood at 0.6 percent as of midnight. The rates rose to 4.5 percent for those in their 70s and 5.6 percent in their 80s or higher each.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) has updated the data twice a day at 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. local time.
The virus infection soared for the past 15 days, with 5,735 new cases reported from Feb. 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 southeast of Seoul, and its surrounding North Gyeongsang province increased to 4,327 and 861 respectively as of midnight. It accounted for about 90 percent of the total.
Daegu became the epicenter 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 homegrown 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 totaled 103 and 110 each as of midnight.
Since Jan. 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.
