Daily COVID-19 cases climbed to nearly 23-thousand to hit a new high after the Lunar New Year holiday.  

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) said Thursday that 22-thousand-907 infections were reported throughout the previous day, including 134 cases from overseas. 

The total caseload came to 907-thousand-214, surpassing 900-thousand just five days after exceeding 800-thousand. The daily figure surpassed 20-thousand for the first time on Wednesday and remained above the figure for a second day. 

Despite the continued spike in infections, the number of critically ill patients is down four from the previous day to 274, remaining in the 200s for the sixth consecutive day. 

Twenty-five people died of the virus in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to six-thousand-812. The fatality rate fell to zero-point-75 percent. 

The ICU occupancy rate was around 16-point-eight percent nationwide as of 5 p.m. Wednesday.

However, the number of patients under treatment at home jumped by some 77-hundred from the previous day to over 97-thousand. The government said earlier that it could manage up to 106-thousand such patients using about 440 medical institutions.