The government predicts daily COVID-19 cases may peak at around 200-thousand as the latest resurgence of the virus appears to falter.

In a Friday briefing, the commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Peck Kyong-ran, said that response measures are in the works to prepare for a daily caseload of 300-thousand, but added that the outbreak may instead peak at 200-thousand, lower than initially expected, due to a slowing uptick and a weaker than expected potency of variants.

Peck said that according to the latest prediction model, the surge will likely remain within the bounds of the system’s antiviral policies and medical capacity, and will not necessitate distancing measures.

Authorities earlier forecast a maximum peak of 280-thousand cases a day between mid- to late-August. Revised forecasts now project a smaller daily caseload with the possible arrival of the peak two weeks earlier.

To address the uptick in infections, the KDCA had expanded the eligibility of booster shots, which saw 509-thousand injections administered last week, more than three-fold over the previous week.

The rate among those 60 and older who have received their fourth shot has recently gone up to 41 percent, compared to 30 percent in June.