The government estimates daily COVID-19 cases in the nation could exceed two-thousand-300 in the middle of next month before it begins to ebb. 

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) reported the projection to President Moon Jae-in during a special quarantine measure checkup for the greater Seoul area on Monday. 

The agency said the current trend will likely remain for some time given the hidden sources and active clusters accumulated over time as well as the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant. 

It said given the current reproduction rate of one-point-22, the daily figure will likely peak at two-thousand-331 in mid-August. 

The agency predicted the implementation of the most stringent Level 4 distancing rules in the capital region could help contain the spread gradually and reduce daily numbers to less than 700 in late August if they are carried out effectively.