S.Korea confirms 60 more cases of COVID-19, 893 in total

Special: Battle Against Novel Coronavirus

South Korea confirmed 60 more cases of the COVID-19 on Tuesday, raising the total number of infections to 893.

As of 9:00 a.m. local time (0000 GMT), the number of infected patients totaled 893, up 60 from the prior day. 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.

Of the new patients, 49 were residents in Daegu, about 300 km southeast of the capital Seoul, and its surrounding North Gyeongsang province.

The total number of infections in Daegu and North Gyeongsang province increased to 731.

The virus infections soared for the past week, with 802 new cases reported from Wednesday to Monday. The country raised its four-tier virus alert to the highest "red" level on Sunday.

Two clusters of infections in the country's southeastern region contributed the most to the recent viral spread.

As of Monday, 458 cases were linked to the church services of a minor religious group, called Sincheonji, in Daegu.

The health authorities announced a plan to test for virus some 28,000 people in Daegu with flu symptoms and over 9,000 Sincheonji followers of the Daegu branch who attended the church services linked to the cluster infection.

The other 113 cases were traced to Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo county, just south of Daegu. Test for all of 652 patients and medical staff was completed as almost all the patients at the hospital's psychiatric ward tested positive for the virus.

One more death was confirmed, raising the death toll to nine. Six of the deaths were linked to the hospital.

The government designated Deagu and Cheongdo as a "special care zone" Friday, while protest rallies were banned in downtown areas of Seoul.

Since Jan. 3, the country has tested more than 36,000 people, among whom 22,550 tested negative for the COVID-19 virus and 13,273 were being checked.