South Korea's Health Ministry confirmed Monday the sixth death as a result of the country's Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak.

According to NBC News, South Korea also upped its count of total infections to 87, rising from 18 about one week ago. The country's health officials said the latest MERS casualty was an 80-year-old man.

With their country's outbreak still not peaking, South Korean officials will release the names of the 24 hospitals where people were confirmed infected with MERS. Anyone who visited the hospitals in the past few weeks will be expected to report for a check-up.

"So far, all the MERS cases have been hospital-associated, and there has been no case of an infection in other social settings. We think we have a chance at putting the outbreak under total control," NBC News quoted Deputy Prime Minister Choi Kyung-hwan saying at a recent press conference.

South Korea's 87 confirmed cases of MERS now trails only Saudi Arabia, where the virus first appeared in 2012. As the country is now monitoring its mandatory quarantines more seriously, Reuters reported, officials believe they are close to finally containing the spread.

Hong Kong is responding to South Korea's outbreak by upping their three-tiered risk assessment level to "serious." The second level only to "emergency," "serious" means Hong Kong will hasten test results for anyone suspected to have MERS as well as add limitations for entering the city.

Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore have all taken similar measures in restricting or advising against travel to Korea.

"The focus of our effort is to completely verify the route of infection and completely cut off the links and to stop all additional contacts," Reuters quoted South Korean President Park Geun-hye saying in a statement. "The effect from MERS on private consumption cannot be overlooked as spending and tourism are quickly shrinking," Park said during a visit to the MERS response headquarters.

"Minimizing the economic impact of the disease and overcoming it has to be part of eradicating the MERS outbreak."

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