South Korea on Tuesday registered over 110,000 new cases of the novel coronavirus, the highest single-day number in three months, local media reported.

As many as 111,789 new cases were confirmed over the past 24 hours, bringing the total caseload to over 19.93 million, according to the Yonhap News Agency.

This represents a sharp rise from 44,689 cases reported on Monday. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency attributed the surge, which started in late June, to the omicron subvariant BA.5.

The daily count climbed to over 10,000 on June 29 for the first time, before doubling by July 9 and hitting 100,000 last week. Health authorities warned that the current wave could peak at around 200,000 infections per day, according to the agency.

There were also 16 more virus-related fatalities in South Korea over the past day, raising the overall death toll to 25,084.

The government has recommended the fourth vaccine dose for people aged 50 and older, as well as all adults with underlying health conditions.