The number of COVID-19 cases in Korea continued the slower pace of increase, coming to 7,979 at midnight Thursday, rising 110 from the same time a day earlier.

Thursday also saw 177 people being released from isolation, pushing up the number of those deemed clear of the virus to 510.

During the course of Thursday, one more patient died from the illness, pushing the country’s COVID-19 death toll to 67, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Daegu continued to see the largest number of new cases, with 61 of the 110 cases identified during the course of Thursday occurring in the city.

After the discovery of a cluster of transmission at a call center in Seoul, the capital saw the number of cases increase 13, while transmission among civil servants pushed up the number in the administrative city of Sejong by 17. 



With Seoul’s total now standing at 225, the nation’s capital has the largest number of COVID-19 cases outside of Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, where mass transmission mostly occurred via a religious group and a hospital.

As of midnight, Daegu’s total stands at 5,928 while that of North Gyeongsang Province stands at 1,147.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)