Army officer tests positive for COVID-19

Published : Jul 2, 2021 - 14:04 Updated : Jul 2, 2021 - 14:04

People stand in line to take coronavirus tests at a screening clinic in front of Seoul Station on Thursday. (Yonhap)

An Army officer has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Friday.

The officer based in Yongin, 49 kilometers south of Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after a support mission at a local coronavirus treatment center, according to the ministry.

The latest case raised the total number of infections reported among the military population to 1,026.

Nationwide, South Korea added 826 new infections Friday, marking a near six-month high as infections in the greater Seoul area continued to spike.

Meanwhile, 30,961 troops in their 20s, or 30.3 percent of the age group, had received their second doses of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine as of Thursday since the ministry began the inoculation campaign for them last month, according to the ministry.

The ministry said it plans to fully vaccinate the soldiers aged 30 and younger by mid-July.

The vaccination program for service members began in March and has proceeded in phases. Soldiers aged 30 and older were given AstraZeneca's vaccine, and they will receive the second shots starting this month. (Yonhap)