A mother in a protective mask walks her child past cherry blossoms at a park in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on Wednesday, March 31, 2021. (Matthew Keeler/Stars and Stripes)
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TOKYO — U.S. military bases in the Far East reported 18 new coronavirus patients as of 6 p.m. Thursday, some dating to March 21.
Japan reported another 1,937 people with COVID-19, the coronavirus respiratory disease, on Wednesday, according to the World Health Organization. Tokyo reported 475 people newly infected with the coronavirus Thursday, according to public broadcaster NHK.
The Marine Corps reported three individuals on Okinawa tested positive for the coronavirus Wednesday: two at Camp Foster and one at Camp Hansen, according to a Facebook post. On Thursday, the Marines reported seven more: four at Foster, and one each at Camps Hansen, Courtney and Kinser.
South Korea reported 551 new COVID-19 patients Wednesday, according to Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Of those, 197 were in Seoul and 125 were in Gyeonggi province, where Osan Air Base and Camp Humphreys are located.
New, one-day case numbers continue to hover near 500 in South Korea and 2,000 in Japan.
U.S. Forces Korea reported eight individuals tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving on the peninsula between March 21 and Monday, according to a news release.
All eight — seven service members and one dependent — tested positive on the first test required before they entered the two-week mandatory quarantine. They were quarantined at either Osan or Humphreys.
Five service members arrived at Osan from the U.S. aboard the Patriot Express, a government-contracted air service, between March 24 and Monday, according to USKF. Two service members and the dependent arrived on commercial flights at Incheon International Airport on March 21, 23 and 25.
Stars and Stripes reporter Yoo Kyong Chang contributed to this report.
ditzler.joseph@stripes.com Twitter: @JosephDitzler
