US soldier at Camp Humphreys tests positive for COVID-19

An American service member stationed at a US military base in South Korea has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the US Forces Korea (USFK) said Friday.

The soldier at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 on Tuesday in a virus test conducted prior to a permanent change of station travel to the United States, according to the USFK.

The soldier last visited the base Tuesday and Osan Air Base, also in Pyeongtaek, on Sunday, and is now in isolation at a facility designated for confirmed patients.

"KDCA and USFK health professionals are actively conducting contact tracing to determine whether anyone else may have been exposed to this individual, and to identify and ensure all known on-post and off-post facilities visited by the individual are thoroughly cleaned," the US military said in a statement. KDCA stands for the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

The latest case raised the total number of infections reported among the USFK-affiliated population to 784. (Yonhap)