Figures released by South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday brought national totals to 12,003 cases and 277 deaths. It says 10,699 people have so far been released from hospitals after recovery, but 1,057 others remain in treatment.
At least 45 of the new cases were reported from the Seoul metropolitan area, where about half of South Korea's 51 million people live.
Health officials have struggled to track transmissions linked to entertainment and leisure activities, church gatherings and low-income workers who couldn't afford to stay home.(AP) AMS AMS