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SEOUL, March 3-- South Korea confirmed 477 more cases of the COVID-19 on Tuesday, raising the total number of infections to 4,812. As of midnight local time, the number of infected patients totaled 4,812, up 477 from the previous announcement. Three more deaths were reported, lifting the combined death toll to 29. 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. The virus infection soared for the past 13 days, with 4,304 new cases reported from Feb. 19 to March 2. 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 the capital Seoul, and its surrounding North Gyeongsang province increased to 3,081 and 624 respectively. Daegu became the epicenter of the viral spread here as the biggest cluster of mass infections was found in the city with a 2.4 million population. Since Jan. 3, the country has tested more than 125,000 people, among whom 85,484 tested negative for the COVID-19 virus and 35,555 were being checked. One more patient was discharged from quarantine after making full recovery, raising the combined number to 34. | 
