[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] At an Air Force unit in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, three soldiers tested positive in diagnostic tests following contact with confirmed cases within the unit. Since two confirmed cases were reported the previous day, the total number of confirmed cases in this unit has increased to five.
On the 17th, the Ministry of National Defense announced that eight additional COVID-19 cases were confirmed within the military, including at the Gangneung Air Force unit.
The Gangneung Air Force unit quarantined about 150 contacts and temporarily suspended all soldiers and civilian employees from going out or taking leave. They also conducted polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests on 245 personnel whose movements overlapped with confirmed cases. So far, aside from the five confirmed cases, 188 tested negative, and the remaining 52 are awaiting results, so additional confirmed cases may emerge.
In Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, one Air Force officer tested positive after returning from a business trip and undergoing diagnostic testing. The three additional confirmed Air Force soldiers were unvaccinated, while the Air Force officer had received the first dose of the vaccine.
In Incheon, one Army soldier tested positive after performing quarantine support duties and undergoing diagnostic testing, and one Army officer tested positive after showing symptoms and being tested. Additionally, one Army soldier each in Yongin and Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province, tested positive.
All four Army confirmed cases were breakthrough infections, confirmed two weeks after receiving the recommended number of COVID-19 vaccine doses. This brings the total number of similar infection cases within the military to 118. The cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the military is now 1,681, with 39 currently receiving treatment.
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