An expert on preventive medicine says he believes the upsurge of COVID-19 infections this summer may reach its peak in a week or two, earlier than initially expected.

Jung Jae-hun, a professor at Gachon University College of Medicine, made the assessment on Thursday in a seminar organized by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Jung also predicted that it is unlikely that cases will stand at around 300-thousand per day during the peak phase.

Previously, experts had forecast that infections would peak in two to three weeks from now with daily cases standing at around 300-thousand on average.

In making his assessment, Jung said the rise in cases has slowed this week and the public’s active participation in getting their fourth shots has helped push down infection numbers.

He also said it is becoming less likely that the omicron subvariant BA.2.75 will become the dominant strain in the nation given that its transmissibility is not as high as once feared.

Jung was quick to add, however, that focus should be placed on accurately predicting the number of serious cases and sufficiently securing hospital beds.