South Korea‘s new coronavirus cases bounced back to over 10,000 Saturday as the daily cases seemed poised to take an upturn again after months of decline.

The country added 10,715 COVID-19 infections, including 173 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,379,552, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

The tally increased from 9,528 the previous day and 6,786 a week ago.

The country added seven COVID-19 deaths, raising the death toll to 24,562. The fatality rate stood at 0.13 percent.

The number of critically ill patients stood at 53, down from 56 the previous day, the KDCA said.

South Korea‘s COVID-19 outbreaks have shown a downward trend after daily new cases peaked at an all-time high of over 620,000 in mid-March.

But the KDCA has said the pace of decline has recently slowed down amid waning immunity and eased social distancing rules.

Authorities said the nation’s mobility increased during the summer vacation season, accelerating the spread of COVID-19 subvariants.

Of the 10,542 locally transmitted cases, Seoul accounted for 2,768 cases, with the surrounding Gyeonggi Province reporting 2,800 cases. There were 472 infections in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul.

Overseas infections remained high in Incheon -- where Incheon International Airport is located -- at 53.

The jump came in line with the increasing international flights to the country.

In June, Seoul lifted the seven-day self-isolating requirement for all international entries, regardless of travelers‘ nationalities and history of vaccination. (Yonhap)