6 more US soldiers, families in S. Korea test positive for COVID-19

SEOUL -- Six more US soldiers and their families in South Korea tested positive for COVID-19 amid the lingering worry about a recent resurgence here, the US Forces Korea (USFK) said Monday.

The USFK said in a statement that six USFK affiliated individuals were confirmed with the virus after arriving in South Korea between Sept 4 and 17.

Two service members arrived at Osan Air Base on US government-chartered flights from the United States on Sept 4 and 7. The Osan Air Base is located in Pyeongtaek, 70 km south of Seoul.

One service member, one Pentagon civilian and two dependents arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on commercial flights from the United States on Sept. 13, 15 and 17.

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 193, according to Yonhap news agency.

Worry remained here over the recent surge in locally confirmed cases. In the latest tally, South Korea reported 70 more cases of COVID-19 for the past 24 hours, raising the total number of infections to 23,045.

The daily caseload hovered below 100 for two straight days, after having stayed in triple digits for 37 days in a row.

"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.