Daily new COVID-19 cases fell below 40-thousand on Monday, apparently on fewer tests over the weekend.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Monday that 35-thousand-883 cases were compiled throughout the previous day, including 343 cases from abroad.

The country's cumulative caseload came to about 19 million-247-thousand.

The daily tally dropped by about 30-thousand from a day ago on fewer tests on Sunday. 

The figure increased one-point-36 times from a week ago and two-point-83 times from two weeks ago, showing a slight slowdown in the pace of on-week doubling. It marks the largest for Monday tallies in 13 weeks.

The number of seriously or critically ill COVID-19 patients dropped by two from a day earlier to 144.

Sunday added 17 deaths, raising the death toll to 24-thousand-890. The fatality rate remains at zero-point-13 percent.

The occupancy rate of hospital beds for seriously ill COVID-19 patients rose to 23 percent, up one-point-seven percentage points from a day earlier.