200227 South Koreans
South Korean army soldiers wearing face masks stand guard at a checkpoint of a military base in Daegu, South Korea, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020. Image Credit: AP

Seoul: South Korea confirmed 594 more coronavirus cases on Saturday, the biggest increase to date for the country and taking the national total to 2,931 infections with three additional deaths.

More than 90 per cent of the new cases were in Daegu, the centre of the country's outbreak, and its neighbouring North Gyeongsang province, the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement.

Three women in the Daegu area died of the illness, taking the national toll to 16, the statement added.