South Korea reported its first death from the new coronavirus on Thursday, with 53 new cases of the coronavirus confirmed in a single day to bring the total here to 104.
Most new cases occurred in the southeastern city of Daegu. The city's mayor urged its 2.5 million people to refrain from going outside to stem the spread of the virus.
This week's surge in the number of infected people, increasing the nation's total infections by more than 70, came as the health authorities warned that the virus has begun spreading locally.
Vice Health and Welfare Minister Kim Kang-lip told reporters that, "At this stage, (the government) judged that COVID-19 is spreading locally with a limited scope."
The health authorities have been adjusting its quarantine and prevention work to cope with local transmission, Kim said. They will deploy 24 more doctors to Daegu and expand the number of virus-detection centers to 22 in the city.
Still, the authorities kept the virus alert level at "orange," the third highest, Kim said.
Of the 53 new cases, 51 are in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and neighboring North Gyeongsang Province. The remaining two were reported in Seoul, the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said in a statement.
The country's first patient presumed to have died from the coronavirus had been receiving treatment at a hospital in the southeastern city of Cheongdo. Confirmation of his infection was revealed after he died of pneumonia on Wedensday, according to the health autorities.
The health authorities are working to determine the exact cause of the patient's death.
Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province are home to some 5 million people. (Yonhap)
Most new cases occurred in the southeastern city of Daegu. The city's mayor urged its 2.5 million people to refrain from going outside to stem the spread of the virus.
This week's surge in the number of infected people, increasing the nation's total infections by more than 70, came as the health authorities warned that the virus has begun spreading locally.
Vice Health and Welfare Minister Kim Kang-lip told reporters that, "At this stage, (the government) judged that COVID-19 is spreading locally with a limited scope."
The health authorities have been adjusting its quarantine and prevention work to cope with local transmission, Kim said. They will deploy 24 more doctors to Daegu and expand the number of virus-detection centers to 22 in the city.
Still, the authorities kept the virus alert level at "orange," the third highest, Kim said.
Of the 53 new cases, 51 are in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and neighboring North Gyeongsang Province. The remaining two were reported in Seoul, the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said in a statement.
The country's first patient presumed to have died from the coronavirus had been receiving treatment at a hospital in the southeastern city of Cheongdo. Confirmation of his infection was revealed after he died of pneumonia on Wedensday, according to the health autorities.
The health authorities are working to determine the exact cause of the patient's death.
Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province are home to some 5 million people. (Yonhap)
