Daily new COVID-19 cases hit a record high of three-thousand-292 on the day that high school seniors across the nation are holding their annual college entrance exams.  

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) reported Thursday that the new cases raised the country's accumulative caseload to 406-thousand-65. 

The daily tally marks the largest addition since the nation reported its first confirmed case on January 20 last year. It also marks the first time that daily infections surpassed three-thousand for the second consecutive day after the first in September immediately after the long Chuseok holiday break.

The capital region reported a new high of two-thousand-583 cases,  replacing the previous high tallied the day before. 

Critically ill patients remained over 500 for the second consecutive day but dropped from the day before by 16 to 506. The death toll rose to three-thousand-187 with 29 additional deaths, while the fatality rate remained at zero-point-78 percent.