U.S. Forces Korea reports 22 new COVID-19 cases among recent arrivals

Oct. 13 (UPI) -- U.S. Forces Korea confirmed Tuesday that 22 people associated with USFK have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last two weeks.

According to USFK, 18 service members arrived at Osan Air Base from the United States between Sept. 25 and Oct. 9, and four others arrived at Incheon International Airport on commercial flights during the same window.

Of the 22, half tested positive on entering the country and the second half tested positive when taking their second COVID-19 test, which is required to exit quarantine.

It is not clear which branch of the military the infected individuals belonged to, and USFK has said the new patients pose no threat to the broader community because they must undergo strict testing and a two-week quarantine upon entering Korea.

In August, the Army began requiring soldiers and family members to test negative for the virus before boarding international flights.

All 22 individuals were transferred to an isolation facility designed for confirmed COVID-19 cases at Camp Humphreys, Osan Air Base, and Kunsan Air Base, USFK said.

"USFK health professionals determined contact tracing was limited due to the service members, and all other passengers on the commercial and chartered flights being tested upon arrival, and immediately quarantined without interacting with anybody besides other individuals on their flight or those providing administrative and medical support after their arrival," USFK officials said in a statement.

"None of the new arrivals have interacted with anyone residing within USFK installations or the local community," they said.

The Department of Defense has reported a cumulative total of 48,513 cases of COVID-19 among military personnel, eight of whom have died.

The Pentagon has also reported 10,941 cases among civilian defense employees, 6,518 cases among dependents and 4,555 cases among contractors.