



South Korea reported its first case of reinfection by the new coronavirus Saturday amid mounting concerns over the rapid rise in infections here.







A South Korean woman tested positive for COVID-19 for a second time, even after being released from quarantine, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).







The 73-year-old woman, who was diagnosed with the virus earlier in the month, was released from hospital Feb. 22 after making a full recovery.







She started showed symptoms again Thursday and was found to have contracted the virus again Friday, the agency said











This is the first time in South Korea that a person has been infected a second time with COVID-19 after being discharged.







The woman had not traveled abroad, although her son and daughter-in-law had recently been to China's Guangdong Province, and both had contracted the virus.







Local health authorities said that the woman claimed she had stayed indoors after her release.







The government reported a whopping 594 additional cases of the new coronavirus her as of Saturday morning, to bring the total number of infections to 2,931.







So far, 17 patients have died from the virus that emerged in China late last year. (Yonhap)

