New COVID-19 cases hit the second highest daily figure since the beginning of the pandemic at nearly two-thousand-900 as the spike following the Chuseok holiday continued.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) said Wednesday that new infections detected throughout Tuesday stood at two-thousand-885, raising the country's accumulated caseload to 308-thousand-725.

It is a record high for a Wednesday and the second highest since three-thousand-271 cases last Saturday.

With the daily average for the last week hovering above two-thousand-500, health authorities are concerned that two upcoming three-day holidays next month will further spread infections.  

Of the new cases, two-thousand-859 were local transmissions, while 26 were from overseas.

The greater metro area accounted for 76-point-six percent of local cases, reporting two-thousand-190. Non-capital areas accounted for 23-point-four percent of local cases at 669.

Ten more deaths have been reported, bringing the total to two-thousand-474. The fatality rate stands at zero-point-80 percent. The number of critically ill patients rose by seven from the previous day to 331.