SEOUL, April 6 (Xinhua) -- South Korea reported 47 more cases of the COVID-19 compared to 24 hours ago as of midnight Monday local time, raising the total number of infections to 10,284.

Three more deaths were confirmed, lifting the death toll to 186. The total fatality rate came in at 1.81 percent.

A total of 135 more patients were discharged from quarantine after making full recovery, pulling up the combined number to 6,598.

Except for the first 31 cases, all the infections have been reported since Feb. 19. The country has raised its four-tier virus alert to the highest "red" level.

The total number of infections in Daegu, about 300 km southeast of Seoul, and its surrounding North Gyeongsang province increased to 6,781 and 1,316 respectively. It accounted for almost 80 percent of the total.

The numbers in Seoul and its adjacent Gyeonggi province came to 563 and 580 each.

Infections were still found in Daegu, Seoul, and Gyeonggi province. Of the new cases, 16 were imported cases.

Daegu became the epicenter of the viral spread here as the biggest cluster of infections was found in the metropolis with a 2.5 million population. Daegu has been designated by the government as a "special disaster zone."

The Daegu cluster was closely linked to the church services of a homegrown minor religious sect, called Sincheonji, in Daegu. Members of the sect are known to sit on the floor closely side by side during church services.

Since Jan. 3, the country has tested more than 466,000 people, among whom 437,225 tested negative for the virus and 19,295 were being checked.