Another COVID-19 cluster has hit a naval destroyer on an anti-piracy mission in waters off Africa, with nearly 30 crew members confirmed with the virus.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) said on Thursday that 27 members of the 304-strong Cheonghae Unit tested positive on polymerase chain reaction(PCR) tests by a hospital in Oman.
The unit conducted a rapid Xpert COVID-19 test on a member who showed suspected symptoms on Wednesday. As the person tested positive, the unit carried out the test on everyone else and confirmed the results with the PCR tests by the local hospital.
A total of 18 officers and nine sailors are infected. The JCS said that ten are showing light symptoms, while the others are in stable condition with no symptoms.
All the members of the unit were fully vaccinated when they departed for a mission aboard the destroyer Choi Young in November. They also received booster shots recently.
The JCS plans to quarantine all the members at a local hotel except for essential personnel needed to maintain the destroyer.
The cluster marks the second since July of last year, when about 270 members of the unit were infected with the virus and all of its members were airlifted back to South Korea.