21 more US soldiers, civilians in S. Korea test positive for COVID-19

SEOUL -- Sixteen more US soldiers and five other individuals in South Korea tested positive for COVID-19, the US Forces Korea (USFK) has said.

The USFK said in a statement Tuesday that 21 USFK-affiliated individuals were confirmed with COVID-19 after arriving in South Korea between Oct 23 and Nov 8.

Sixteen service members arrived at Osan Air Base on US government-chartered flights from the United States on Nov. 3, 4, 5 and 8. The Osan Air Base is located in Pyeongtaek, 70 km south of Seoul.

Four dependents and one contractor arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on international commercial flights on Oct. 23, 28 and Nov 6.

The confirmed patients have been transferred to designated isolation facilities at Camp Humphreys and Osan Air Base, both of which are located in Pyeongtaek.

The total number of infections among the USFK-affiliated personnel rose to 319, according to Yonhap news agency.

Worry remained here over the virus spread. South Korea reported 146 more cases of the COVID-19 as of midnight Tuesday local time, raising the total number of infections to 27,050.

The daily caseload stayed above 100 for four straight days due to small cluster infections in the Seoul metropolitan area.

"Despite the recent confirmed cases, USFK remains at a high level of readiness with less than 1 percent of its active-duty service members currently confirmed positive with COVID-19," the USFK said.