Daily new COVID-19 cases remained above 300-thousand for the second straight day, with the number of deaths surpassing 200 again.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Thursday that 327-thousand-549 cases were compiled throughout the previous day, including 59 cases from overseas. The total caseload came to five million-539-thousand-650.

The daily tally dropped by about 15-thousand from the record high a day ago, but stayed above 300-thousand for a second day. The figure increased one-point-six times from a week ago and one-point-nine times from two weeks ago.

The new infections are expected to peak in a couple of weeks. 

Amid the soaring infections, the number of patients in critical care rose by 26 to one-thousand-113. The figure remained above one-thousand for the fourth consecutive day. Health authorities expect the figure to rise up to two-thousand-750 by the end of the month.

The occupancy rate of ICU beds for critical COVID-19 patients nationwide rose by two percentage points to 61-point-one percent as of 12 a.m. Thursday. 

Wednesday saw 206 deaths, the second largest since Saturday when it marked a daily record high of 216. The death toll rose to nine-thousand-646, with the fatality rate standing at zero-point-17 percent.

The number of home-treatment patients rose by some 76-thousand to over one million-294-thousand.