A soldier stationed in South Korea became the first U.S. service member to be diagnosed with coronavirus.
United States Forces Korea confirmed Tuesday that the soldier, a 23-year-old man stationed at Camp Carroll, tested positive for coronavirus. The soldier is being self-quarantined at an off-base residence.
“Health professionals are actively conducting contact tracing to determine whether any others may have been exposed,” the statement said.
The news comes as cases of the disease, officially known as COVID-19, have ballooned in South Korea. There have been 10 deaths and more than 1,100 cases of coronavirus in the country since the outbreak began in China at the end of last year.
Stocks in the United States plunged on Tuesday as fears of a potential worldwide pandemic grow. The Dow Jones Industrial Average on Tuesday closed down 3.15% from Monday’s close, which was 3.55% off from its previous close.
There have been almost 81,000 cases of the illness with at least 2,760 deaths, most of which were in mainland China. In Italy, there have been 322 cases and 10 deaths. There have been at least 95 cases with 16 confirmed deaths in Iran.
