At least 8 Army soldiers infected with coronavirus at front-line unit

At least eight Army soldiers have tested positive for the new coronavirus at a front-line unit, officials said Wednesday, raising concerns over a possible cluster infection in barracks.

The latest cases raised the total number of infections among the military population to 66. The military reported its first COVID-19 case in February and had not reported an additional case since early June.

Two soldiers at the unit in Pocheon, some 45 kilometers north of Seoul, tested positive for the virus Tuesday after showing fever symptoms the previous day.

The military conducted the virus test on all members at the unit and found six more infections among those who had contact with the confirmed patients.

The number of infections could increase as not all the results are out yet. In such a case, it would be the first cluster infection reported in the military.

Authorities are looking into how the initial two soldiers contracted the new virus. Both went on vacation last month, and one of them also had an off-installation travel earlier this month, the officials said.

The military has put around 50 soldiers who had contact with the confirmed patients into isolation, and the other troops at the unit are also in quarantine in a preventive measure.

Nationwide, the total number of service members in quarantine in accordance with health authorities' guidelines stands at 84, and the military has put the other 934 service members in isolation as a preventive step.

As of Tuesday, South Korea had 13,816 new coronavirus cases. (Yonhap)