South Korea confirmed 169 more cases of the COVID-19 on Wednesday, raising the total number of infections to 1,146, and the death toll rose to 12.

As of 9:00 a.m. local time (0000 GMT), the number of infected patients totaled 1,146, up 169 from the previous day. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) has updated the data twice a day at 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. local time.

Of the new patients, 153 were residents in Daegu, about 300 km southeast of the capital Seoul, and its surrounding North Gyeongsang province.

The total number of infections in Daegu and North Gyeongsang province increased to 944.

The virus infections soared in the past week, with 946 new cases reported on Feb. 19-25. The country raised its four-tier virus alert to the highest "red" level on Sunday.

Two clusters of infections in the country's southeastern region led to the recent viral spread.

As of Tuesday morning, 501 cases were linked to the church services of a minor religious group, called Sincheonji, in Daegu.

The other 113 cases were traced to Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo county, just south of Daegu. Test for all of 652 patients and medical staff was completed as almost all the patients at the hospital's psychiatric ward tested positive for the virus.

One more death was confirmed in Daegu, lifting the death toll to 12.

The government designated Deagu and Cheongdo as a "special care zone" Friday, while protest rallies were banned in downtown areas of Seoul.

Since Jan. 3, the country has tested more than 46,000 people, among whom 28,247 tested negative for the COVID-19 virus and 16,734 were being checked.