1 US military member has coronavirus along with wife, small child in South Korea: Pentagon officials

Infectious disease expert says there’s still time for US to learn lessons from coronavirus

We learned from China that older populations, hospital workers and first responders need to be protected from coronavirus, says Dr. Peter Hotez from the Baylor College of Medicine.

The Pentagon confirmed that one member of the U.S. military has coronavirus, along with his wife and small child, a senior official said Wednesday.

The infected soldier is stationed in South Korea.

MAJOR CRUISE LINE ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES NEW PROTOCOLS FOR MEMBERS AMID CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

In a separate case, the widow of a retired American soldier in South Korea also contracted the virus.

Pentagon officials admitted there “probably will be some more cases” but said the numbers of infected individuals is “very small.»

The Pentagon says they are following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control to test other service members for the virus, although it remains unclear how many tests are being administered.

The virus infects the elderly and those with compromised immune systems, and Pentagon health officials said they believe most of the U.S. military is not at risk.

“What we are trying to do is not scare people by saying everybody is at risk because that is not true,” one official said.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP

According to the most recent situation report from the World Health Organization on the coronavirus – which has infected 90,870 and killed more than 3,000 worldwide – 4,812 cases have been detected in South Korea. There have been 28 deaths total, Tuesday’s report indicated.

On Wednesday, the death toll in the U.S. climbed to 11 with over 60 cases of infection across the country, according to WHO.