The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 continued to increase in the third week of August, according to the most recent tally Thursday, but at a lower growth rate than weeks before.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, 1,464 people were newly hospitalized with the disease between Aug. 11 and Aug. 17, marking a 7.2 percent increase compared to 1,366 new patients in the previous week. The figure by the state-run agency refers to the patients admitted to one of 220 hospitals with facilities for in-patient care.

COVID-19 patients in the third week of August accounted for 70.3 percent of all 2,083 patients hospitalized by viral infections.

Infections have continued to rise throughout August. New patients in the second week of August marked a 55.2 percent increase compared to 880 in the previous week, which had nearly doubled from 474 in the last week of July.

However, COVID-19 infections are expected to peak soon. Based on the recent trend, KDCA Commissioner Jee Young-mee said the agency anticipates infections to start declining this week or next. She added that the total number of infected as of this week is likely to be smaller than the previously anticipated 350,000.

KDCA data also showed that the number of new patients suffering from severe cases of COVID-19 was 55 in the third week of August, down from 82 in the previous week.

With the rising number of COVID-19 patients, the government has acquired an extra 260,000 doses of medication and issued guidelines to schools before the new semester starts next month, including requiring students to take leave when exhibiting severe symptoms and not counting such absences as truancy.