Daily COVID-19 cases remained above 170-thousand for the second straight day on Thursday, with the number of critical cases approaching 600.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Thursday that 170-thousand-16 cases were compiled throughout the previous day, including 170 cases from overseas. The total caseload came to two million-499-thousand-188.

The daily tally dropped by some 14-hundred from a day ago but remained above 170-thousand for the second day. The figure increased one-point-eight times from a week ago and over three times from two weeks ago.

The National Institute for Mathematical Sciences projected the figure to reach 213-thousand in a week and 334-thousand in two weeks if the COVID-19 reproduction rate is one-point-67.

With the soaring infections, the number of critical patients also rose by some 70 to 581.

The ICU occupancy rate for critical COVID-19 patients also climbed to 31-point-one percent as of 5 p.m. Wednesday. The figure rose by two-point-two percentage points from a day ago to approach 40 percent in about three weeks.

Eighty-two deaths were reported in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to seven-thousand-689. The fatality rate stands at zero-point-31 percent.

The number of home-treatment patients rose by some 66-thousand to about 588-thousand.