Daily COVID-19 cases have climbed above 60-thousand on Monday, while the number of critical cases jumped eight-fold compared to a month earlier. 

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, as of 12:00 a.m. Monday, 62-thousand-78 additional people tested positive for the virus over the previous 24-hour period, raising the cumulative total to 21-point-418 million.

Of the daily total cases, 61-thousand-682 were local infections, and 396 from overseas.

New cases expanded by six-thousand-800 from a week earlier, and the latest tally is an 18-week high for a Monday.

Meanwhile, the number of critical cases reached 521, an eight-fold increase from July 15 when the figure stood at 65. Fifty more people succumbed to the virus, bringing the death toll to 25-thousand-673.