On Mar. 4, the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in South Korea rose to 5,328, with 516 new cases being identified on Mar. 3, Yonhap News Agency reports.

405 cases are from Daegu and 89 are from North Gyeongsang Province

Of the 516 new cases, 405 are from Daegu and 89 are from the North Gyeongsang Province, both of which are hotspots for the virus outbreak in South Korea.

Ever since the virus alert level was raised to the highest level on Feb. 23, health authorities have concentrated their efforts on stopping the spread of the virus in Daegu and North Gyeongsang.

Around 60 per cent of the confirmed cases in South Korea are linked to a branch of the Shincheonji religious sect in Daegu, which has a total population of 2.5 million people.

The central government and Daegu city have also stated that around 2,300 confirmed cases in Daegu have links to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus.

Around 11,000 other ordinary citizens with no links to Shincheonji have been tested, with 1,300 testing positive for the virus.

S$13.6 billion stimulus package to fight virus and cushion economic impact

To help fight against the virus and cushion the economic impact caused by it, South Korea has also unveiled an extra 11.7 trillion won (S$13.7 billion) stimulus package.

The extra budget, which requires approval from the National Assembly, will see 2.3 trillion won (S$2.7 billion) being allocated to providing "more medical equipment, hospital beds and facilities for patient treatment," Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said.

As of Mar. 4, South Korea has tested a total 131,379 people who are suspected of having the virus, with 102,965 testing negative.

The total number of confirmed cases in Daegu and North Gyeongsang now stands at 4,006 and 774 respectively.

Seoul has seen one additional case, bringing the total number of cases to 99, while Busan has seen its number of cases rise by three to 93.

Several provinces such as Gyeonggi, Gangwon and South Chungcheong have also reported new cases.

According to the Korea Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), 32 patients in South Korea have died from Covid-19 so far.

Out of the 32, most are elderly folk with other illnesses.

Top image via Diyana Amir on Unsplash