Daily coronavirus cases spike to over 350,000, total caseload nears 10 mln

SEOUL, March 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new COVID-19 cases spiked to over 350,000 on Tuesday, adding to concerns that infections could spike again as the accumulated caseload nears 10 million.

The country reported 353,980 new COVID-19 infections as of midnight, raising the total caseload to 9,936,540, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

The total caseload is expected to breach the grim milestone of the 10 million mark within the day, meaning 1 out of 5 South Koreans have become infected with COVID-19.

Tuesday's tally marked a sharp climb from 209,169 reported on Monday. The number of new daily cases usually shrinks at the beginning of the week due to less testing over the weekend.

The death toll from COVID-19 came to 13,141, up 384 from Monday, the KDCA said.

The number of critically ill patients stood at 1,104, down 26 from the previous day.

Concerns lingered that daily infections could spike again as the government eased social distancing rules on Monday as part of efforts to help small merchants and business owners taking the brunt of the pandemic due to less foot traffic and consumption.

khj@yna.co.kr
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