Health authorities reported more than two-thousand-800 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, with severe cases staying above 500 for the third straight day.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said that two-thousand-827 new infections were detected throughout Sunday, raising the country's cumulative caseload to 418-thousand-252.

The daily tally dropped by nearly 300 from the previous day, apparently due to fewer tests over the weekend and fell below three-thousand after five days. However, the figure marks the largest for Monday.

The number of infections is feared to rise further as all kindergartens and schools across the nation returned to full time in-person classes on Monday for the first time in some two years. 

Of the new cases, two-thousand-806 were local transmissions and 21 were from overseas. The capital region accounted for 80-point-two percent of local infections, reporting two-thousand-250 cases. Non-capital areas added 556 infections.

The number of severe cases dropped by two from the previous day to 515. The death toll rose to three-thousand-298 with 24 additional deaths. The fatality rate stands at zero-point-79 percent.