South Korea confirms 229 new coronavirus cases

By Burak Bir

ANKARA (AA) - South Korea confirmed 229 new coronavirus cases on Saturday raising the total to 433, state media reported.

The most infections were traced to a hospital in the southeastern Cheongdo region and a minority Christian sect in the southeastern city of Daegu, according to Yonhap news agency.

People were asked to stay indoors in Daegu city and Cheongdo was designated as a "special management zone" on Friday, the report added.

On Thursday, the country's health officials reported the nation’s first death from the coronavirus.

In China, the epicenter of the disease, the death toll from the outbreak has reached 2,347, with a total of 76,288 confirmed cases. Over 1,200 cases of the virus have been confirmed in 26 other countries with at least eight deaths reported.

Following the global spread of the virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak an international health emergency.