A South Korean health official sprays disinfectant in front of a hospital where a total of 16 infections of COVID-19 have been reported, in Cheongdo county near the city of Daegu on Friday. Photo: AFP

South Korea confirmed 123 more cases of the COVID-19 on Sunday, raising the total number of infections to 556 and the death toll rose from two to four.

As of 9:00 a.m. local time (0000 GMT), the number of infected patients totaled 556, up 123 from the previous day. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) has updated the figure twice a day at 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. local time.

Of the total patients, 465 were residents in Daegu, about 300 km southeast of the capital Seoul, and its surrounding North Gyeongsang province.

A total of 306 infections were linked to the church services of a minor religious sect called Sincheonji in Daegu.

The other 111 cases were traced to Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo county, just south of Daegu.

At the hospital, the first and second deaths from the COVID-19 virus were reported on Wednesday and Friday. The third death posthumously tested positive on Saturday, and the fourth death was linked to the hospital.

Deagu and Cheong were designated as a "special management zone" on Friday, while protest rallies were banned in downtown areas of Seoul.

The number of COVID-19 infections rose sharply in recent days, after 402 new cases were reported from Wednesday to Saturday.

Health authorities still kept the four-tier virus alert at the second-highest "orange" level, vowing to take measures with an urgency corresponding to the highest "red" level.

Since Jan. 3, the country has tested more than 22,000 people, among whom 16,038 tested negative for the COVID-19 virus and 6,039 were being checked.