Seoul, Jul 20 (IANS): Eighteen more US soldiers and five American civilians tested positive for Covid-19 upon their arrival in South Korea, it was announced on Tuesday.

The US Forces Korea (USFK) said in a statement that 23 USFK-affiliated individuals were confirmed to have been infected between July 9 and 17, reports Xinhua news agency.

Three service members at the Osan Air Base, eight service members at Kunsan Air Base, one service member and two South Korean contractors at Camp Casey, one US Department of Defense (DoD) civilian and two contractors at K-16 tested positive after developing symptoms.

Three service members at Camp Casey and three service members at Kunsan Air Base tested positive on July 14 and 15 during a contact-tracing process.

The confirmed patients have been transferred to designated isolation facilities at the US army bases in South Korea.

The total number of infections among the USFK-affiliated personnel rose to 1,085, according to Yonhap news agency.