Korea on Thursday saw its first death from coronavirus as over 50 fresh cases were confirmed overnight and another 100 on Friday alone, bringing the total to more than 200.

Schools in Daegu, which has become a hotbed of new infections, delayed reopening after their winter break, while streets were eerily empty as authorities urged residents to refrain from going outdoors.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the patient who died on Wednesday was a 65-year old man who was tested after cases were reported in the psychiatric ward of Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo, North Gyeongsang Province. He had been confined in a secure unit.

The total number of infections among patients and staff at the hospital rose to 16. An official at the North Gyeongsang Province government said four of the 16 were staff. That makes Daenam Hospital a major variable in government efforts to stem the spread of the virus. The hospital could well be the source of the spread in the Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province.

