South Korea's daily COVID-19 cases have climbed to the highest level in 40 days amid concerns the protracted third wave of the pandemic in the nation will further aggravate. 

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) on Wednesday announced 506 infections confirmed the previous day, raising the country's accumulated caseload to 103-thousand-88. 

There are 59 more cases than Tuesday, marking the highest figure in 40 days since 561 cases were reported on February 19.

Of the new infections, 491 were local transmissions and 15 imported cases. 

Amid sporadic clusters in many parts of the nation, the number of cases in regions outside the greater Seoul area rose to account for 41-point-five percent of daily cases at 204, including 58 in Busan. 

The Seoul metro area recorded 287 cases, including 156 in Seoul and 106 in Gyeonggi Province. 

Two more deaths have been reported, raising the death toll to one-thousand-731. The fatality rate stands at one-point-68 percent. The number of critically ill patients rose by six to 108.