SEOUL, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said on Monday that 14 more U.S. soldiers and two civilians have tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving in South Korea between Nov. 28 and Dec. 11.
The USFK said in a statement that the 16 USFK-affiliated individuals included three service members and one dependent who arrived at Osan Air Base on U.S. government-chartered flights from the United States on Nov. 30, Dec. 7 and Dec. 9. The Osan Air Base is located in Pyeongtaek, 70 km south of Seoul.
Among the newly reported coronavirus infections were also 11 service members and one dependent who arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on international commercial flights on Nov. 28, 29, Dec. 7, 9, 10, and 11.
The confirmed patients have been transferred to designated isolation facilities at the U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys and the Osan Air Base, both of which are located in Pyeongtaek.
The total number of infections among the USFK-affiliated personnel rose to 434, according to the Yonhap news agency.
"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.
The COVID-19 surged in South Korea in the past month. In the latest tally, South Korea reported 718 more cases of COVID-19 for the past 24 hours, raising its total number of infections to 43,484.
Its daily caseload hovered above 100 for 37 straight days since Nov. 8 due to small cluster infections in the Seoul metropolitan area.
