SEOUL: South Korea's military has recorded its biggest cluster of COVID-19 infections to date, with more than 80% of personnel aboard a destroyer on anti-piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden testing positive.
While the 247 cases are not directly linked to new domestic infections, with the destroyer having left South Korea to start its mission in February, the surge comes as the country battles its worst-ever outbreak of COVID-19 cases at home, with another 1,252 new infections reported for Sunday.
The country's Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Monday that just 50 of the ship's complement of 301 personnel have tested negative in an outbreak first reported on July 15. Authorities have begun an operation to airlift them home, while a replacement team will steer the vessel back home.
Sunday's number meant new cases in South Korea, which has so far fared better than many industrialised nations in case numbers and deaths, have topped 1,100 a day for nearly two weeks in an outbreak stoked by a surge in highly transmissible Delta variant cases.
So far, South Korea has recorded 179,203 cases and 2,058 deaths. Some 31.4% of its 52 million population has received at least one dose of vaccine, while 12.7% have been fully vaccinated.
Helped largely by vaccinations of the elderly and the vulnerable, the latest surge in case numbers has yet to be accompanied by a significant increase in hospitalisations or deaths, with a mortality rate of 1.15% and the number of severe cases at 185 as of Sunday.
Citing military sources, Yonhap news agency reported none of the affected personnel aboard the destroyer were classified as severe cases, though one person has developed conditions that require close observation.
The defence ministry had said noone aboard the destroyer had been vaccinated as the unit had left the country in February, before a vaccination campaign began for military personnel.
Authorities had decided vaccination at sea was not a viable option as it would limit monitoring for any allergic reaction such as anaphylaxis due to the nature of the operational mission.
The ship would not meet the cold-storage requirements for some vaccines, including Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines for soldiers aged under 30, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said in a statement.
South Korea has excluded people below 30 from receiving AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson vaccines over risk of rare but serious blood clots linked to the shots.
Reuters
Mon Jul 19 2021
People wait in line for a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) test at a testing site which is temporarily set up at a public health centre in Seoul, South Korea. - REUTERS
LHDN wujud 'Peranan Peguam' di portal MyTax
Ciri itu diwujudkan selaras dengan Seksyen 57A(3) Akta Cukai Keuntungan Harta Tanah (ACKHT) 1976.
Umat Islam warga Astro adakan bacaan Yassin buat Faisal Halim
Hampir 100 kakitangan Astro menyertai bacaan Yassin buat kesembuhan tonggak Harimau Malaya Faisal Halim pada Rabu.
Selangor lancar kempen 'Stand With Faisal Halim
Selangor melancarkan kempen solidariti 'Stand With Faisal Halim. Stop The Violence!' berikutan pemain mereka, Faisal Halim, dianiayai apabila disimbah asid di sebuah pusat beli-belah, Ahad lalu.
Perkembangan hari keempat insiden melibatkan Faisal Halim
Hari keempat, insiden melibatkan Faisal Halim masih menjadi tumpuan hari ini.
Beliau kini masih dirawat di hospital dan dikhabarkan keadaan beliau semakin baik.
Ridauddin Daud ada perkembangan semasa berhubung kes IMO.
Beliau kini masih dirawat di hospital dan dikhabarkan keadaan beliau semakin baik.
Ridauddin Daud ada perkembangan semasa berhubung kes IMO.
OpenAI lancar alat kesan imej dijana DALL.E dengan ketepatan 98.8%
Ia walau bagaimanapun tidak boleh digunakan untuk mengesan imej yang dijana oleh Midjourney atau Stability.
Pasaran saham Malaysia kini terbaik di Asia Tenggara - MIDF Research
Bursa Malaysia merupakan pasaran saham terbaik di ASEAN ketika ini berdasarkan FBM KLCI yang meningkat 10.4% dari awal tahun hingga tarikh semasa (YTD).
Israel musnahkan lintasan Rafah, jejaskan 1.5 juta penduduk Gaza
Rejim Zionis Israel kini sudah mula memusnahkan lintasan Rafah seterusnya menjejaskan kira-kira 1.5 juta penduduk Gaza yang berlindung di kawasan terbabit.
Mahkamah benar Muhyiddin dapat pasport lawat keluarga yang sakit di Australia
Hakim Azura Alwi membuat keputusan itu susulan permohonan peguam bela Muhyiddin, Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik yang tidak dibantah Timbalan Pendakwa Raya, Nor Asma Ahmad.
Nasib Ten Hag selepas final Piala FA
Manchester United tidak akan memecat Erik ten Hag sebelum perlawanan akhir Piala FA bulan ini.
Mentaliti FOMO, YOLO jerat belia jatuh bankrap
Antara lain tambah Ketua, Jabatan Pembangunan Penyelidikan, AKPK, Mohammd Mafrukhin Mokhtar penyebab belia cenderung berbelanja di luar kemampuan adalah disebabkan faktor tekanan.
Korea Selatan mulakan liga bola lisut secara tertutup
Liga KBO memulakan musim dengan perlawanan antara SK Wyverns dan Hanwha Eagles yang dijalankan secara tertutup di Incheon.
Doan dipenjara tiga tahun empat bulan, cederakan Kim Chol
Bernasib baik kerana pendakwaan menawarkan pertuduhan alternatif yang hanya membawa hukuman penjara 10 tahun berbanding pertuduhan asal iaitu membunuh yang memperuntukkan hukuman mati mandatori.
MMA: ONE Championship announces 2019 calendar, expands fight to Tokyo
ONE Championship has just revealed its calendar for 2019, including its first live event in Tokyo, Japan, scheduled for 31 March 2019.
South Korean Customs looking into Korean Air 'nut rage' family
South Korea's Customs is looking into accusations that the family helming Korean Air did not pay customs duties on luxury goods brought into the country.
Kim Jong-un invites South Korean president for summit - South Korea
The invitation sets the stage for the first meeting of Korean leaders in more than 10 years.
Pembunuhan Jong Nam: Polis serah Ri Jong Chol kepada imigresen esok
Lelaki warga Korea Utara yang ditahan polis berhubung kes pembunuhan seorang rakyat negara itu pada 13 Feb lepas, akan diserah kepada Jabatan Imigresen esok.
Korean Air tolak dakwaan 'kru tidak terlatih' oleh penyanyi Richard Marx
Syarikat penerbangan ternama Korea Selatan, Korean Air berkata bahawa anak-anak kapalnya mengikut prosedur syarikat dalam mengawal penumpang selepas bintang 80-an Richard Marx memuat naik status.