The mayor of the South Korean city hardest hit by that country's coronavirus outbreak expressed cautious hope on Sunday that the numbers of new cases may be dropping, after the rate of increase slowed to its lowest in 10 days.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Sunday 272 new coronavirus cases, for a total of 7,313 in the country. Two further deaths took the toll to 50, it added.

The increase in cases was lower than the same period a day before, though health officials have warned that numbers could fluctuate as more tests are processed.