Daily COVID-19 cases fell below 50-thousand apparently due to fewer tests over the weekend.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Monday that 43-thousand-142 infections were confirmed throughout the previous day, including 360 from overseas.

The country's cumulative caseload came to over 23 million.

The daily tally nearly halved from a day ago and decreased by over 15-thousand from a week ago. The figure is the first Monday tally below 50-thousand in four weeks.

Despite the downward trend in infections, the number of critical patients remains high.

The number of critically ill hospitalized patients rose by 16 from the previous day to 597, remaining above 500 for the sixth consecutive day, and is the largest since April 26.

Forty-nine deaths were reported on Sunday, down 21 from a day ago to fall below 50 for the first time in 12 days. The death toll came to 26-thousand-618, with the overall case fatality rate remaining at zero-point-12 percent.

The occupancy rate of ICU beds for COVID-19 patients nationwide came to 43-point-seven percent, up zero-point-five percentage points from a day ago.