Daily COVID-19 cases fell by more than 20-thousand to below 140-thousand, but the number of deaths and critical cases soared.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Monday that 139-thousand-626 cases were compiled throughout the previous day, including 160 cases from overseas. The total caseload came to three million-134-thousand-456.

The daily tally dropped by about 24-thousand from a day ago to fall below 140-thousand for the first time in six days, partly due to fewer tests over the weekend. Authorities expect daily case numbers to soar to as high as 250-thousand around mid-March. 

The total caseload surpassed three million just a week after exceeding two million. It took about two years to reach one million after the first confirmed case was reported on January 20, 2020, but took just 15 days to add another million.
 
Amid the soaring infections, the number of patients in critical care rose by some 50 to 715. The figure, which stayed in the 200s in the middle of the month, surpassed 700 on Monday.

The ICU occupancy rate for critical COVID-19 patients also climbed to 48-point-two percent as of 5 p.m. Sunday.

The number of deaths from the virus rose to a new daily high of 114. The death toll rose to eight-thousand-58, with the fatality rate standing at zero-point-26 percent.

The number of home-treatment patients rose by some 28-thousand to over 797-thousand.