One more member of Cheonghae anti-piracy unit off Africa tests positive for COVID-19
The ROKN destroyer Munmu the Great / Yonhap
One more service member of South Korea's Cheonghae anti-piracy unit patrolling off the coast of Africa has tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total caseload there to seven, the defense ministry said Saturday.
Earlier this week, six service members of the 300-strong crew aboard the 4,400-ton destroyer Munmu the Great were confirmed to have been infected, and the authorities conducted virus tests on all other crewmembers.
Fears of a mass infection have grown as around 80 others have shown symptoms consistent with COVID-19.
The newly confirmed service member had shown symptoms of pneumonia and has been undergoing treatment at a local hospital where he was given a virus test, the ministry said.
The test results for all other personnel were initially supposed to be available by Saturday morning, but there appeared to have been some delays in analyzing the data at local medical centers, according to officials.
Multiple sources from the military, meanwhile, said 49 of the 50 service members tested positive through rapid antigen tests, which were conducted before they underwent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing.
While rapid antigen tests tend to be less accurate compared with PCR ones, experts say it is still highly likely that those who tested positive are infected with COVID-19.
In addition to the man, 11 other crew members have been in a hospital for treatment, and others are in isolation on the vessel, they added.
The crewmembers have been kept in close proximity to each other while staying together for months aboard the ship. None of the Cheonghae members have been vaccinated, as they left South Korea in February just before the country began its inoculation campaign.
Contact tracing is under way, but the infections appeared to have begun after the vessel was docked at a port for several days late last month to load supplies, according to the officials.
South Korea is preparing to send KC-330 Cygnus multi-role aerial tankers there to bring home all the crewmembers, according to the defense ministry. In a message sent to families of the crew, the head of the unit said all crew members are expected to be airlifted home sometime next week.
It is also working on a plan to fly separate aircraft equipped with medical equipment ― in preparation for contingencies ― to airlift those with symptoms, the officials added. (Yonhap)