South Korea has reported another death related to the novel coronavirus, bringing the total number of deaths connected to the contagious disease to 12. 

According to Daegu City on Wednesday, a 73-year-old man died at 1 a.m. while being treated for respiratory problems at Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center in the southeastern city. 

The man was found to be a member of the religious sect at the center of the COVID-19 outbreak, Shincheonji Church of Jesus. He had been initially hospitalized at Daegu Medical Center since last Friday but taken to the university hospital on Monday for better treatment. 

He had also been suffering from diabetes and hypertension. 

The death was confirmed after the number of COVID-19 infections nationwide topped one-thousand earlier in the day, just 37 days after the first case of the disease was reported in the nation.