(LEAD) Military reports 9 additional COVID-19 cases

(ATTN: UPDATES with cases from veterans hospital, USFK in last 5 paras)

SEOUL, Nov. 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's military reported nine additional COVID-19 cases Tuesday, bringing the total caseload among its personnel to 2,135, the defense ministry said.

Five of the newly added patients tested positive after their family members were infected, the data showed.

A Marine Corps draftee stationed on the southern resort island of Jeju tested positive after a virus case was reported at the base.

An officer at the arms procurement agency in Gwacheon, south of Seoul, tested positive after developing symptoms.

An Army conscript based in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of the capital, contracted the virus during an off-base trip. Another Navy officer in the region also tested positive.

Of the cumulative cases in the military, 57 patients are still under treatment.

Meanwhile, the total number of COVID-19 cases traced to the VHS Medical Center in eastern Seoul rose by 27 to 134, the veterans affairs ministry said.

The hospital, which has emerged as a major source of cluster infections in the capital, is one of six medical centers in South Korea reserved for veterans and their family members.

The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) also said 49 additional affiliated people have tested positive for COVID-19 from Nov. 9 to Tuesday. It did not provide further details about their bases.

The latest cases raised the total number of infections reported among the USFK-affiliated population to 1,699 from the previous tally.

colin@yna.co.kr
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