Seoul, Sep 18 (IANS): South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell for the fourth consecutive day to below 40,000 on Sunday as the spread of the virus slows down.

The country reported 34,764 new COVID-19 infections, including 241 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 24,394,466, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

The daily caseload decreased more than 8,600 from the previous day, Yonhap news agency reported quoting the KDCA.

An omicron variant had led to a virus resurgence in early July, with the daily caseload spiking to more than 180,000 in mid-August after falling to as low as the 3,000s in June. Authorities believe the virus wave is now on track for a gradual slowdown.

The KDCA reported 46 deaths from COVID-19, putting the death toll at 27,828. The fatality rate was 0.11 percent.

The number of critically ill patients came to 489, up 12 from a day earlier.

A Latin America festival is held in Seongbuk, north Seoul, on Saturday (September 17), for the first time in three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.