7 more U.S. soldiers in S.Korea test positive for COVID-19

SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Seven more U.S. soldiers in South Korea tested positive for COVID-19 amid the lingering worry about a recent resurgence here, the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Thursday.

The USFK said in a statement that seven USFK service members were confirmed with the virus after arriving in South Korea between Aug. 15 and 29.

Three service members arrived at Osan Air Base on U.S. government-chartered flights from the United States on Aug. 17, 19 and 28. The Osan Air Base is located in Pyeongtaek, 70 km south of Seoul.

Four service members arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on commercial flights from the United States on Aug. 15, 17, 28 and 29.

The confirmed patients have been transferred to designated isolation facilities at Camp Humphreys or the Osan Air Base, both in Pyeongtaek.

The total number of infections among the USFK-affiliated personnel rose to 175, according to Yonhap news agency.

Worry remained here over the recent surge in locally confirmed cases. In the latest tally, South Korea reported 195 more cases of COVID-19 for the past 24 hours, raising the total number of infections to 20,644.

The daily caseload fell below 200 in 17 days, but it continued to grow in triple digits since Aug. 14 due to infections in Seoul and its surrounding Gyeonggi province linked to church services and a massive rally in mid-August.

"Despite the recent confirmed cases, USFK remains at a high level of readiness with less than 1 percent of its active-duty service members currently confirmed positive with COVID-19," the USFK said.