13 COVID-19 Cases Confirmed... Emergency Declared at Army Frontline Unit

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] In an Army frontline unit located in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, 13 soldiers have been collectively confirmed positive for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Following 5 confirmed cases at the Defense Security Support Command and 9 at the Cyber Command, another cluster infection has occurred within the unit, prompting military authorities to control all personnel in the unit and implement quarantine measures.

According to the Ministry of National Defense on the 22nd, two soldiers from a unit belonging to the 8th Division showed fever symptoms on the afternoon of the 20th and underwent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing at a nearby hospital, testing positive the next day. Subsequently, a full inspection was conducted on all stationed personnel (about 220 officers and soldiers), and 11 additional individuals classified as close contacts were confirmed positive, bringing the total number of infections in this unit to 13. Since the full test results have not yet been completed, the number of confirmed cases may increase.

The infection route of the first two confirmed soldiers is still unclear, and an epidemiological investigation is underway to determine the source. Both had taken leave in early last month, and one of them reportedly went on a leave of absence on the 10th.

The military has placed about 50 close contacts within the unit (approximately 10 officers and 40 soldiers) under individual isolation, while the remaining approximately 170 personnel are under preventive cohort isolation within the unit. Immediately after the confirmed cases were identified, the military restricted movement of all stationed personnel, including officers, and quarantined the entire unit. The military is conducting a detailed epidemiological investigation with military epidemiologists and is coordinating with health authorities to identify individuals who had contact with the infected.

Meanwhile, since all confirmed cases under military management were fully recovered, the military recorded 'zero confirmed cases within the military' on the 2nd of this month, but COVID-19 patients have reappeared after about 20 days. The last new confirmed cases in the military were 41 days ago, when 4 officers at the Defense Security Support Command tested positive on the 10th of last month. The number of isolated personnel within the military is 84 according to health authorities' standards and 944 according to the military's own criteria.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.