Daily average COVID-19 cases in the nation last week were found to have slipped around 16 percent compared to the previous week.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) said on Monday that the number of daily new infections for the third week of August came to roughly 41-thousand on average, down 16-point-four percent from the roughly 49-thousand posted in the second week of this month.

The reproduction rate for COVID-19 nationwide was also found to have slid below one. The rate refers to the number of infections caused by a single patient and a figure over one means the virus is spreading.

A KDCA official said daily cases, which had posted continuous growth for the past seven weeks, marked a decline and signs have emerged of a decrease in the incidence of infections. 

The agency was quick to add, however, that it will continue to keep a close eye on new variants reported abroad and conduct related analyses.