21 Aug

South Korea reported 324 more cases of COVID-19 as of 0:00 a.m. Friday local time compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 16,670.

The daily caseload soared in triple figures for eight straight days, topping 300 for the first time in over five months since March 8.

The number of confirmed cases for the past eight days reached 1,900 due to infections in Seoul and its surrounding Gyeonggi province traceable to church services of Sarang Jeil Church in Seoul and the massive rally held in central Seoul on Aug. 15 by conservative voters and politicians.

Of the new cases, 125 were Seoul residents and 102 were people residing in Gyeonggi province.

Nine were imported from overseas, lifting the combined figure to 2,697.

Two more deaths were confirmed, leaving the death toll at 309. The total fatality rate stood at 1.85 percent.

A total of 57 more patients were discharged from quarantine after making full recovery, pulling up the combined number to 14,120. The total recovery rate was 84.71 percent.

Since Jan. 3, the country has tested more than 1.75 million people, among whom 1,699,408 tested negative for the virus and 38,045 are being checked.

xinhua