Daily COVID-19 cases in South Korea dropped slightly to the 130-thousand range amid a forecast by health authorities predicting that the latest wave may reach its peak as early as this week.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Wednesday that 139-thousand-339 infections were reported throughout the previous day, including 456 from abroad, bringing the total caseload to around 22-million-588-thousand.

The daily tally declined by some eleven-thousand from Tuesday and fell by some 41-thousand from a week ago. Compared to two weeks earlier, it is around 12-thousand fewer.

With serious cases and deaths expected to further rise even until after two to three weeks, the number of seriously or critically-ill COVID-19 patients jumped by 86 from a day ago to 573. It is the highest figure in four months since 613 registered on April 26.

The occupancy rate of hospital beds for seriously ill COVID-19 patients nationwide edged up by zero-point-one percentage point from a day ago to 44-point-nine percent as of 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Sixty-three more people died of the virus, up by eleven from Tuesday, raising the death toll to 26-thousand-224, while the fatality rate remains at zero-point-12 percent.