SEOUL– South Korea has confirmed 794 new COVID-19 cases, local health authorities announced Saturday, amid worries about a potential fourth wave of large-scale infections nationwide.

The latest figure is down from 826 recorded the previous day, but it marked the second consecutive day that the nation’s daily new virus cases stayed at around 800.

Among the additional infections, 748 were locally transmitted and 46 imported, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The total caseload here came to 159,342, with one more death reported, raising the death toll to 2,025.

By region, 353 cases were found in Seoul, 247 in Gyeonggi Province and 14 in Incheon, accounting for 82.1 percent of the nation’s new daily infections. The mortality rate is 1.27 percent.

The number of new infections in the greater Seoul area stayed above 600 for four days in a row amid cluster infections and the spread of the highly contagious delta variant.

The KDCA said 813 patients were released from coronavirus treatment Friday, with 8,185 others still in quarantine. The number of those with serious symptoms decreased by one to 144.

It said 3,930 more people received their first doses of vaccines and 83,700 others had their second shots Friday. A total of 5.27 million people, 10.3 percent of the population, have been fully vaccinated, it added.

On Friday, the country reported the largest number of infections in nearly six months.

As of 6 p.m. Saturday, the country reported 585 new infection cases, down 83 from the same time the previous day.

Of them, 257 came from Seoul alone, marking the highest daily infections in the capital in 2021, surpassing the previous Saturday record of 242 set last week.

Source: Yonhap News Agency