8 US soldiers, 1 civilian in S. Korea test positive for Covid

Seoul, March 11 (IANS) Eight more US soldiers and one civilian in South Korea tested positive for Covid-19, the US Forces Korea (USFK) said on Thursday.The USFK said in a statement that nine USFK-affiliated individuals were confirmed with the Covid-19 after arriving in South Korea between February 22 and March 8.Four service members arrived at the Osan Air Base on US government-chartered flights from the US on February 22, 24, and March 8. The Osan Air Base is located in Pyeongtaek, 70 km south of Seoul, the Xinhua news reported.Four service members and one contractor arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on international commercial flights on February 23, and March 4 and 5.The confirmed patients have been transferred to designated isolation facilities at the US Army Garrison Humphreys and the Osan Air Base, both of which are located in Pyeongtaek.The total number of infections among the USFK-affiliated personnel rose to 783, according to media.In the latest tally, South Korea reported 465 more cases of Covid-19 for the past 24 hours, raising the total number of infections to 94,198. The daily caseload stayed above 400 for three straight days.”Despite the recent confirmed cases, USFK remains at a high level of readiness with less than 1 per cent of its active-duty service members currently confirmed positive with Covid-19,” the USFK said. –IANSint/rs