New COVID-19 cases fell below 40-thousand amid a general downward trend in infections.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Thursday that 35-thousand-906 infections were confirmed throughout the previous day, including 12 cases from overseas. The country's accumulated caseload came to 17-million-694-thousand-677.

The daily tally dropped by some six thousand from a week ago. It is also the smallest number of infections reported on a Thursday in 14 weeks. 

The number of critically ill patients dropped by 29 from a day ago to 354, down 87 from the daily average of the previous week.

There were 63 deaths, raising the death toll to 23-thousand-554. The fatality rate stands at zero-point-13 percent.

The occupancy rate of ICU beds for critical patients stands at 19-point-two percent, while more than 236-thousand people are recovering from COVID-19 at home nationwide, down 33-hundred from a day ago.