SEOUL, Feb. 22 (CNA) - South Korea reported its second death on Saturday (Feb 22) from the novel coronavirus as the number of new cases rose by 142, bringing the nationwide total to 346.

This is the highest number of people infected outside of China.

Among the latest cases, 92 were connected to a hospital in Cheongdo, a southern city connected to a religious sect, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More than 150 members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus have now been infected, starting with a 61-year-old woman who developed a fever on Feb 10 but attended at least four church services in Daegu before being diagnosed.

Cheongdo, around 27km south of Daegu, is the birthplace of Shincheonji's founder Lee Man-hee.

County officials said Friday that a three-day funeral was held for his brother three weeks ago at a hall owned by the hospital, where 92 new cases were confirmed on Saturday morning.

The mayor of Daegu - South Korea's fourth-biggest city, with a population of over 2.5 million - has advised locals to stay indoors, while access to a major US military base in the area has been restricted.

The first patient who died from the virus was a long-term patient at a hospital in Cheongdo county. He had shown symptoms of pneumonia, and his status was only established posthumously.

The new coronavirus started in the Chinese city of Wuhan but has since spread to more than 25 countries.

Globally more than 2,000 people have died from the disease and more than 76,000 people have tested positive, the vast majority in China.