By Lee Ji-hye
The Ministry of Health and Welfare Friday confirmed that a 76-year-old Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) patient died while receiving treatment at a state-designated hospital.
This brings the death toll to four, and the number of confirmed MERS cases went up by five to 41.
The fatality rate among the patients went up to 9.8 percent.
The ministry said that the dead patient was male, having tested positive for the virus on May 21.
The newly confirmed cases included an Air Force sergeant major, 45, the first patient among military personnel.
Ministry officials said he was put in the same hospital ward as the first MERS patient.
The five additional patients all seem to have contracted the virus within a hospital, either after being admitted or visiting another patient between May 14 and 31.
More than 1,600 people remain quarantined and 1,164 schools are closed as part of efforts to fight the spread of the virus.