South Korea reports zero cases for the first time in 2 months

South Korea marked the first time in 72 days that local infections have fallen to zero.

The four cases of the new coronavirus reported on Thursday were all imported ones and brought the total to 10,765.

It was the first time since February 18 that no locally infected cases have occurred. It also marked the lowest daily increase in more than two months, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), Yonhap news agency said.

South Korea reported its first coronavirus case, a Chinese individual, on January 20. The daily total peaked at 909 on February 29.

Despite the signs of a slowdown, local health authorities remain on the alert over the ongoing holiday, when people are expected to make trips locally, which could potentially lead to cluster infections, according to the news agency.

Cluster infections take up more than 80 percent of the total reported cases here.

The nation’s death toll from COVID-19 rose by one to 247.

The overall fatality rate reached 2.29 percent. The figure, however, reached 24.3 percent for patients in their 80s and above.

So far, no deaths have been reported from patients aged 29 and less.

In total, 9,059 people in South Korea have recovered from the virus, up 137 from a day earlier.

The figures indicate nearly 85 percent of COVID-19 patients in the country have been cured.