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, 311 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 1,338.

The virus infection soared for the past week, with 1,230 new cases reported from Feb. 19-26. 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 led to the recent viral spread.

As of Wednesday morning, 597 cases were linked to the church services of a minor religious group, called Sincheonji, in Daegu.

The other 114 cases were traced to Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo county, just south of Daegu. Test for all of about 650 patients and medical staff was completed as almost all of the patients at the hospital's psychiatric ward tested positive for the virus.

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

Since Jan. 3, the country has tested around 57,000 people, among whom 35,298 tested negative for the COVID-19 virus and 21,097 were being checked.