Health authorities reported more than 66-hundred new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, with the number of critically ill patients approaching 900.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Sunday that six-thousand-689 new infections were confirmed throughout Saturday, bringing the country's accumulated total to 517-thousand-271.

The daily tally dropped by 288 from a day ago, but soared by over 15-hundred from a week ago.

The number of critically ill patients rose by 38 from a day ago to hit a fresh high of 894, staying above 800 for the fifth straight day.

With the surge in critical patients, the rate of hospital beds in use for severe cases nationwide stood at 80-point-nine percent as of 5 p.m. Saturday. The rate for the capital region is even higher at 86-point-five percent.

Forty-three more people died, raising the overall death toll to four-thousand-253. The fatality rate stands at zero-point-82 percent.

The number of omicron infections rose by 15 to 90.