SEOUL - South Korea reported 96 new coronavirus cases on Monday, taking the country's total infections to 7,478, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The updated numbers added to the 69 recorded earlier in the day, showing the rate of increase slowed to its lowest in 11 days. 

Thirty-six more patients were discharged from quarantine after making full recovery, raising the combined number to 166.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) has updated the data twice a day at 10:00 am and 5:00 pm local time.

The virus infection soared for the past 19 days, with 7,351 new cases reported from Feb. 19 to March 8. The country has raised its four-tier virus alert to the highest "red" level.

The total number of infections in Daegu, about 300 km southeast of Seoul, and its surrounding North Gyeongsang province increased to 5,571 and 1,107 respectively. It accounted for about 90 percent of the total.

Daegu became the epicenter of the viral spread here as the biggest cluster of infections was found in the metropolis with a 2.5 million population. Daegu has been designated by the government as a "special care zone."

The Daegu cluster was closely linked to the church services of a homegrown minor religious sect, called Sincheonji, in Daegu. Members of the sect are known to sit on the floor closely side by side during church services.

Since Jan 3, the country has tested more than 196,000 people, among whom 171,778 tested negative for the virus and 17,458 were being checked.

Reuters/Xinhua