CLUSTER INFECTION AT CHEONGHAE UNIT

[Anchor Lead]

Cluster infection again occurred in the Cheonghae unit, which had suffered group infection once in last July. The Korean naval vessel currently anchored at an Oman port reported 27 cases of COVID-19 so far.

[Pkg]

The military is responding to the COVID-19 cluster infection on the Cheonghae naval unit. The Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that twenty-seven out of 304 crew members of the Cheonghae unit’s 36th contingent had tested positive for COVID-19. Eighteen officers and nine soldiers contracted the virus. Ten out of the 27 infected showed mild symptoms like sore throat and a headache, but their temperatures were normal, according to the Joint Chiefs. The rest are asymptomatic. They were all previously vaccinated with the second dose before they sailed off in November last year, and had even received the booster shots recently, making all cases breakthrough infections. Given the incubation period, there may be more infected sailors. The Joint Chiefs of Staff talked with Oman authorities and decided to isolate all sailors, including the infected ones, at a local hotel. However, essential crew members needed to operate the ship will remain on-board. According to the Korean disease control guidelines, infected individuals who are fully vaccinated and not in the high-risk groups are supposed to be quarantined for seven days. Accordingly, the sailors will be isolated in the hotel for seven days or more. COVID-19 treatment pills sent from Korea arrived in Oman yesterday morning. Meanwhile, Korean military is looking into how they contracted the virus. A JCS officer said outside contact has been controlled and strict disease control measures has been put in place while authorities investigate the infection route. A cluster infection occurred in the same Cheonghae unit last July, infecting some 270 sailors and forcing them to return home earlier than scheduled.