Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Saturday the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is believed to be subsiding but the country must not lower its guard.

Chairing a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, Chung said the spread of the virus has passed a peak and is slowly flattening.

But he quickly added that considering the pace of the third wave and transmissibility of the virus, the number of cases can rebound any time and vigilance must be maintained.

The prime minister also expressed concern over a cluster of 505 infections connected to a missionary center in Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province.

He said that around 70 percent of the two-thousand-800 people who have visited the center have not been tested, and urged them to get tested as quickly as possible.

Chung also shared a survey result showing that 20 percent of some three-thousand-700 recovered COVID-19 patients from around 50 countries are still struggling with the aftermath and unable to return to work.

He asked the public not to take the virus lightly and be alert at all times.