Daily coronavirus cases neared 700 for the third straight day and registered the second largest increase since the first infection was confirmed in late January. 

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) said on Friday that 689 people were newly detected the previous day, of which 673 were domestic infections. 

The cumulative total now stands at 40-thousand-786. 

The number of new infections in the greater metro area came to 512, including 250 in Seoul, 225 in Gyeonggi Province and 37 in Incheon. 

The southeastern city of Ulsan added 47 new infections and Busan reported 26. 

Eight more coronavirus deaths have been reported, raising the death toll to 572. The fatality rate stands at one-point-40 percent. 

The number of severely or critically ill COVID-19 patients slid by three to 169.