The number of critical cases and deaths caused by COVID-19 surged recently while aggregate daily infection tallies showed only a marginal increase amid a winter resurgence of the pandemic. 

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) said in a media briefing on Wednesday that the average daily infection figure stood at 67-thousand-321 in the past week through Sunday, marking an increase of three-point-five percent from a week earlier. 

It is a notably modest gain compared to increases in average deaths and cases of those in critical care during the cited period, which jumped 13-point-eight percent to 528 and 20-point-seven percent to 56, respectively. 

Serious cases and fatalities usually track changes in daily infections at an interval of two to three weeks, but the recent jump in critical cases and deaths are higher than predicted. 

Lim Suk-yeong, a senior health official, said an increase in the portion of the elderly among recent cases, as well as a growing trend among young people to get tested may have resulted in disparity between the figures.