Six-fold jump in South Korea viral infections in 4 days

South Korean officials reported Saturday a six-fold jump in viral infections within the past four days.

The rapid rise in confirmed cases of the virus has pushed the total to 346, most of them linked to a church and a hospital in and around the city of Daegu.

There, schools have been closed and people have been told to avoid mass gatherings.

In nearby Chungdo, hospital supplies were being winched up to staff and patients by rope, to avoid the risk of spreading the infection.

South Korea's deputy health minister Kim Gang-lip said the outbreak had entered a serious new phase, but still expressed cautious optimism that it can be contained to the region surrounding Daegu, where the first case was reported on Tuesday

The city, whose population is two and a half million, has 283 cases of the virus. Two people have died.

Around 170 of the cases have been directly linked to a single church, a Daegu branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, where a woman in her 60s attended two services before testing positive for the virus.

The central government has declared Daegu a "special management zone" and is channeling support to ease a shortage in hospital beds, medical personnel and equipment.