[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] COVID-19 cases within the military are surging as soldiers under 30 years old have not been able to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.
According to the Ministry of National Defense on the 4th, 11 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the military, including 7 soldiers at an Army unit in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province.
At the Yangju Army unit, one soldier who was under preventive quarantine after returning from leave tested positive after being informed of a family member's confirmed case. Six additional soldiers, who were cohort-quarantined in the same barracks, also tested positive. The unit conducted additional tests on 50 contacts, with 32 confirmed negative so far. The remaining 12 are awaiting test results.
At an Army unit in Yeongcheon, Gyeongbuk Province, one officer candidate tested positive after returning from special leave. Additional tests were conducted on 1,001 personnel, all of whom tested negative.
In Cheongju, Chungbuk Province, one Air Force soldier tested positive after showing symptoms during preventive quarantine following leave return. Additional tests are being conducted on about 60 contacts.
Additionally, two Army officers in Daegu and Seoul, who were classified as contacts and quarantined, tested positive before release from quarantine and after symptom onset, respectively.
As of 10 a.m. on the same day, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the military reached 802. Among them, 57 are receiving treatment, and the rest have recovered. According to health authorities, 914 are in isolation, and based on military standards, 25,639 personnel are quarantined preventively.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
