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21:13 GMT
WASHINGTON, Feb 24 (KUNA) -- The White House is reportedly preparing to ask the Congress for emergency funding to fight the novel coronavirus (COVID-19)
"We need some funding here to make sure that we protect all Americans," White House spokesman Hogan Gidley told Fox News on Monday.
"I don't have an announcement on the specific amount yet, but we need to combat this, we need to make sure our people are safe and the president is always going to take action to do that," he added.
Meanwhile, the South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) informed US Forces Korea that a USFK dependent living in Daegu tested positive for COVID-19, making this the first time a USFK-related individual has tested positive for the virus.
The USFK said in a press release it has raised the risk level to "high" for USFK peninsula-wide as a prudent measure to protect the force.
The patient, a 61-year old female, visited Camp Walker's Post Exchange on Feb. 12 and 15, and KCDC and USFK health professionals are actively conducting contact tracing to determine whether any others may have been exposed. (end)
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