Health authorities reported more than six-thousand new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, with critical cases hitting a new high.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said Sunday six-thousand-236 infections were reported throughout the previous day, raising the accumulated caseload to 565-thousand-98.

The daily tally dropped over one-thousand from Saturday and fell below seven thousand for the first time since Tuesday. The drop is attributed to fewer tests on Saturday which saw heavy snow and cold weather.

The number of critically ill patients hit a new high of one-thousand-25, staying above one-thousand for the second straight day.

Seventy-eight more people died of the virus, raising the accumulated death toll to four-thousand-722. The fatality rate stands at zero-point-84 percent.

Twelve more omicron cases have been confirmed, raising that total to 178.