United States Forces Korea (USFK) has confirmed in a statement on Monday that the first USFK-related person has contracted the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and consequently has increased the risk level to "high" for the force throughout the Korean Peninsula
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th February, 2020) United States Forces Korea (USFK) has confirmed in a statement on Monday that the first USFK-related person has contracted the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and consequently has increased the risk level to "high" for the force throughout the Korean Peninsula.
"South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention informed United States Forces Korea today that a USFK dependent living in Daegu tested positive for COVID-19, making this the first time a USFK-related individual has tested positive for the virus," the statement said. "USFK has raised the risk level to 'high' for USFK peninsula-wide as a prudent measure to protect the force."
USFK said the patient is a 61-year old female, who visited Camp Walker's Post Exchange on February 12 and 15, and added that health professionals are actively carrying out contact tracing to identify anyone else that may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus.
According to the South Korean health authorities, the number of people infected with the novel coronavirus in the country has increased 833 and resulted in seven deaths.
The novel coronavirus was first detected in China in late December and has since spread to more than 25 countries, prompting the World Health Organization to declare a global health emergency. More than 77,000 people have so far been infected worldwide.
