Health authorities revised up their assessment of the nation's COVID-19 risk from "low" to "intermediate" for the first time in six weeks.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters said on Wednesday that the "intermediate" level was applied nationwide for the fourth week of October based on increases in daily cases, critical patients and the occupation rate of intensive care beds.

Citing surges in the number of new severe cases and hospitalization, they called for a continued monitoring of the virus situation.

The virus' reproduction number also rose to one-point-17, staying above one for the second straight week, with a rate above one indicating that the number of cases is increasing.