More than a dozen Americans with the U.S. Forces Korea have tested positive for COVID-19 upon their arrival in South Korea, the U.S. military said Thursday.
Of the 14 that tested positive, 12 patients are service members and two are dependents. The new cases bring the total number of USFK COVID-19 cases to 88.
Nine of the soldiers and two dependents flew into Osan Air Base, roughly 40 miles outside of Seoul, on a government aircraft, while three arrived at Incheon International Airport on commercial flights, USFK said in a statement.
The recent spike comes amid concerns of a wave of imported cases, while the U.S. continues to battle a surge in new coronavirus cases.
South Korea has reported 13,612 cases of COVID-19, 291 deaths, and 12,396 recoveries, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. Yonhap News reported that the country, with a population of 51.6 million, reported 47 imported cases Thursday. marking the highest since late March.
“All individuals were tested prior to entering quarantine, and have since been transferred to an isolation facility designated for confirmed COVID-19 cases on either Camp Humphreys or Osan Air Base,” USFK said.
USFK said that five patients were exhibiting “very minor symptoms” upon arrival. Every USFK-related individual is required to quarantine for two weeks and be tested for the virus upon their arrival in South Korea.
• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.
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