SEOUL– Twenty-two U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) service members and four affiliated individuals tested positive for the new coronavirus, the U.S. military said Thursday, amid a new wave of the pandemic in South Korea and abroad.

Five of the service members were confirmed to have been infected upon arrival here from the U.S. between June 25 and July 9.

The remaining American soldiers were stationed at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Camp Cacey in Dongducheon, Camp Carroll in the southeastern city of Daegu, and the K-16, Kunsan and Suwon Air Bases, all of whom tested positive for COVID-19 over the past week, according to the USFK.

In addition, three South Koreans working for the U.S. military and an American civilian stationed at the K-16 base also contracted the virus, it added.

The latest cases raised the total number of infections among the USFK-affiliated community to 1,062.

The USFK has reported a series of infections from its bases across the country in recent weeks, though it completed vaccinating more than 80 percent of its population.

South Korea has reported a drastic surge in new cases over the past several days. The country added 1,600 new COVID-19 cases, including 1,555 local infections, on Thursday, raising the total caseload to 173,511, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Source: Yonhap News Agency