Amid a resurgence of COVID-19 infections nationwide, the number of confirmed cases among students in Seoul more than doubled over the past week, the municipal education office said Tuesday.

A total of 2,587 students in the capital's kindergartens and elementary, middle and high schools tested positive for the coronavirus for one week beginning on July 4, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.

The figure marked a rise of 161.8 percent, or 1,599, from 988 student infections during the previous week beginning on June 27, the office noted.

South Korea's new coronavirus cases surged to a two-month high of over 37,000 on Tuesday, driven by the spread of a highly contagious new omicron subvariant.

The weekly number of Seoul students infected with COVID-19 had fallen below 1,000 in early June after surging to 64,048 in the third week of March. But it has since been on the rise again, reaching 829 in the fourth week of June and 988 in the following week.

The number of confirmed cases among teachers and school staff in Seoul also increased by 190 to 342 in the past week, the office said. (Yonhap)