SEOUL-- Twelve people affiliated with U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), including seven service members, have tested positive for the new coronavirus this week, the U.S. military said Friday.

A service member and a family member at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after developing symptoms, while five troops and two family members at the base were found to have been infected after coming into contact with people who tested positive earlier, according to USFK.

A service member on a temporary duty to USFK and two family members at U.S. Army Garrison Daegu in the southeastern city of the same name have also tested positive after providing a screening sample as part of the military's contact tracing, it said.

"All 12 individuals are currently in isolation at a facility designated for confirmed COVID-19 cases at USAG Humphreys or Osan Air Base," USFK said in a release.

The latest cases raised the total number of infections reported among the USFK-affiliated population to 1,253.

Source: Yonhap News Agency