MUMBAI — India reported a record daily increase of 234,692 COVID-19 infections over the last 24 hours, Health Ministry data showed on Saturday.

Total cases reached nearly 14.5 million, second only to the United States, which has reported more than 32 million infections.

India's deaths from COVID-19 rose by 1,341 to reach a total of 175,649, the data showed.

South Korea says virus

battle at inflection point

In Seoul, South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed in the 600s for the second straight day Friday as the country's virus fight is at a critical juncture of bracing for another wave of the pandemic, Yonhap reported.

The country reported 673 more COVID-19 cases, including 652 local infections, raising the total caseload to 112,789, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

Friday's daily caseload was down from 698 on Thursday and 731 on Wednesday, which marked the highest since Jan. 7. The country added two more deaths, raising the total to 1,790.

Health authorities cautioned against a hike in group infections in various settings, including sports facilities, churches, karaoke businesses, restaurants, workplaces and schools, as people have increased their activities in the spring. — Agencies