2 US service members in S. Korea test positive for new coronavirus

Published : Mar 2, 2021 - 09:28 Updated : Mar 2, 2021 - 09:28

In this February file photo provided by the US Forces Korea, a military guard at US Army Garrison Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, checks the temperature of a driver to screen entrants to the compound for the novel coronavirus. (USFK)

Two American service members stationed in South Korea recently have tested positive for the new coronavirus, US Forces Korea (USFK) has said.

One soldier, stationed at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, was confirmed to have been infected on Feb. 27, after providing a screening sample as part of the command's surveillance testing program, according to the USFK.

He is in isolation at a facility for COVID-19 patients, and USFK and South Korean health authorities are conducting contact tracing, it added.

The other patient is an American airman stationed at Osan Air Base, also located in Pyeongtaek.

He has been in quarantine at his off-installation residence since Feb. 18 "following his direct contact with someone who previously tested positive for the virus," and tested positive on Feb. 25, USFK said in a separate statement.

The latest cases raised the total number of infections reported among the USFK-related population to 756. (Yonhap)