South Korea reported some 40-thousand new COVID-19 cases for a second day amid growing concerns about a resurgence.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Thursday that 39-thousand-196 cases were reported throughout the previous day, including 338 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to about 18 million-641-thousand.

The daily tally dropped by about one-thousand from a day ago but more than doubled from a week ago. The figure jumped four times from two weeks ago.

The number of imported cases dropped by 60 from a day ago, but stayed above 300 for the second consecutive day.

The number of critically or seriously ill patients receiving care at medical facilities rose by two from a day ago to 69.

A total of one-thousand-426 hospital beds are set aside for COVID-19 patients across the nation and eleven percent of the ICU beds are currently in use, up by one percentage point from a day ago.

Sixteen additional deaths were reported in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 24-thousand-696. The overall fatality rate remains at zero-point-13 percent.