(LEAD) S. Korea reports 3 more deaths from coronavirus, death toll rises to 16

(ATTN: UPDATES with more info in lead, paras 2-6)

SEOUL, Feb. 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea reported three additional deaths tied to new coronavirus on Friday, bringing the country's death toll to 16, the national public health agency said.

According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), the deceased were being treated at hospitals in Daegu, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

The KCDC said of those that died, a 62-year-old woman was posthumously diagnosed with the disease at a university hospital. She showed symptoms of infection and died on Thursday.

It said a 93-year-old woman who died had been a long-term patient at a nursing home, before she tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday and was moved to a large medical facility for treatment.

The third person, born in 1950, died at the emergency room of a hospital after she was found to have contracted the illness earlier in the day.

The agency said that it is in the process of determining the exact cause of each death and is taking steps to check people they may have contacted.

As of 4 p.m. on Friday, South Korea reported 2,337 confirmed cases of coronavirus infections, with 81,167 people having been tested since Jan. 3.

Nearly 70 percent of patients have been reported from Daegu, with a cluster of infections tied to the fringe religious group Shincheonji located there.

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