Feb 25, 2020 - Health

U.S. soldier tests positive to coronavirus in South Korea

Rebecca Falconer

US soldiers participate in a military tactical demonstration during "Air Power Day" preview at US Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek on September 20 — U.S. soldiers participate in a military tactical demonstration at the U.S. Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Sept. 20, 2019. Photo: Jung Yeon-je/AFP via Getty Images

A 23-year-old American soldier stationed at Camp Carroll in South Korea is in quarantine at his off-base residence after testing positive to the novel coronavirus, the U.S. military said in a statement Tuesday.

Why it matters: He is the first U.S. service member to test positive for COVID-19, which has infected more than 80,000 people, mostly in China, including 57 Americans.

Details: The military said the soldier had visited Camp Walker military base in Daegu — where there are hundreds of coronavirus infections — on Monday and Camp Carroll Army Base on the South Korean peninsula Feb. 21–25.

Health professionals from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Forces Korea "are actively conducting contact tracing to determine whether any others may have been exposed," the military said.

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Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

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U.S. soldier tests positive to coronavirus in South Korea

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