Health authorities reported more than 210-thousand new COVID-19 cases, with the number of critical cases approaching one-thousand.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Monday that 210-thousand-716 cases were compiled throughout the previous day, including 88 cases from overseas. The total caseload came to four million-666-thousand-977.

The daily tally dropped by about 33-thousand from a day ago apparently due to fewer tests over the weekend, but increased one-point-five times from a week ago and two-point-two times from two weeks ago.

The figure is expected to soar again in the middle of the week.

The number of patients in critical care soared by 70 from a day ago to 955, approaching one-thousand. Health authorities and local institutes expect the figure to soar up to two-thousand-750 this month.

The occupancy rate of ICU beds for critical COVID-19 patients nationwide stood at 59-point-eight percent as of 12 a.m. Monday, up three-point-four percentage points from a day ago.

The nation added 139 deaths from the virus, raising the death toll to nine-thousand-96. The fatality rate stands at zero-point-19 percent.

The number of home-treatment patients rose by some 36-thousand to over one million-156-thousand.