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S. Korea's virus cases top 1,100, 1st US soldier infection

TOKYO, Feb 26 (KUNA) -- South Korea reported its 12th fatality from the new coronavirus and 169 new confirmed cases on Wednesday, bringing the total number of infections in the country up to 1,146, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The US military in South Korea also said one of its soldiers tested positive for the new coronavirus, becoming the first US soldier infected in the country.
About 80 percent of confirmed cases came from two clusters of infections -- at a branch of Shincheonji Church in Daegu, 300 km southeast of Seoul, and a hospital in the neighboring county of Cheongdo, according to the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which has nearly 210,000 members across the country, has been at the center of the country's largest cluster of infections, the report said, adding the number of new cases is expected to jump in the coming days as health authorities began testing church members.
South Korea confirmed its first new coronavirus case from a Chinese woman from Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus outbreak, on Jan. 20, but the pace of infections had not been alarming until Feb. 17, when a 61-year-old woman who is tied to the Daegu religious sect tested positive for the virus.
People are being asked to avoid non-essential meetings and work at home, with various sports events, concerts and public gathering canceled. With untraceable virus infections emerging in other major cities, including Busan and Seoul, concerns are growing over new clusters of infections. (end) mk.mt