S. Korea reports 246 more COVID-19 cases, 15,761 in total

South Korea reported 246 more cases of the COVID-19 as of midnight Tuesday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 15,761.

The daily caseload soared in triple figures for five straight days with 103 on Friday, 166 on Saturday, 279 on Sunday and 197 on Monday each.

The domestic infections surged in Seoul and its surrounding Gyeonggi province traceable to church services.

Of the new cases, 131 were Seoul residents and 52 were people residing in Gyeonggi province.

Eleven were imported from overseas, lifting the combined figure to 2,662.

One more death was confirmed, leaving the death toll at 306. The total fatality rate stood at 1.94 percent.

A total of 17 more patients were discharged from quarantine after making full recovery, pulling up the combined number to 13,934. The total recovery rate was 88.41 percent.

Since Jan. 3, the country has tested more than 1.69 million people, among whom 1,656,062 tested negative for the virus and 25,219 are being checked.