The COVID-19 reproduction number, which helps forecast virus prevalence, fell below one for the first time in three months.

Health minister Cho Kyoo-hong said during a virus meeting on Wednesday that the average daily caseload last week stood in the 59-thousand range, dropping for the second consecutive week along with the reproduction number over a span of 12 weeks.

The figure, representing how many others one patient infects, indicates with a reading below one that the transmission of the virus is slowing.

The minister said while the nation's seventh wave is thought to have passed its peak, domestic and overseas factors should be monitored further.

Amid signs of a virus slowdown, the government plans to start discussions on lifting the indoor mask mandate as early as next week, with the minister mentioning that such talks will include comprehensive consideration for daily caseloads, the vaccination rate and the overseas situation.