South Korea will release one more fully recovered coronavirus patient later in the day, the health authorities said Friday.

So far, South Korea has released 16 virus patients from hospitals.

According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), the country's 19th patient, a 37-year-old South Korean man who was confirmed to be infected on Feb. 5, will be discharged from quarantine and allowed to leave the hospital.

The man in the country's 19th case is one of the patients who is believed to have contracted the virus in Singapore, according to the KCDC.

As of Friday morning, the country has reported 156 COVID-19 cases, with the number of infections here almost tripling in just three days, most of which are traced to church services in the southeastern city of Daegu. (Yonhap)