South Korea reported another 87 confirmed cases at around 4.45pm (Singapore time) on Feb. 22.

229 new cases reported in a day

Earlier today (Feb. 22), South Korea has already reported 142 confirmed cases of Covid-19 infection.

Of the 142 new cases, 92 are related to Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo, where the first death in South Korea was reported on Thursday.

The 63-year-old deceased was an occupant of the hospital for over 20 years before he passed away. Along with him, another 14 patients were also confirmed infected.

As these patients were already staying in the hospital for a long time prior to their Covid-19 infection, the South Korean health authorities voiced concerns over the possibility of a mass infection in the hospital at Cheongdo on Thursday.

Together with the recently-announced 87 cases, this represents the biggest jump in confirmed cases in South Korea in a single day.

As of the timing of writing, a total of 229 new cases have been reported today, bringing the total number of infection in South Korea to 433.

Two main clusters

The majority of the recent cases of infection are either linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus cluster, a fringe religious faction that is based in the Daegu province, or Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo province.

So far, 114 confirmed cases are linked to the hospital in Cheongdo while 231 cases are linked to the church cluster in Daegu.

Both Daegu, with a population of 2.5 million, and Cheongdo have been designated as "special management zones" on Feb. 21.

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