A flight attendant for Korean Air has been diagnosed with coronavirus after working two flights between Los Angeles, California, and Seoul, South Korea. The unidentified flight attendant also worked on a flight from Tel Aviv, Israel, on February 15, in which 30 people tested positive for the virus, which has been named COVID-19.
"We confirm that one crew member of Korean Air is a confirmed COVID-19 patient after testing positive," Jill Chung, a spokesperson for Korean Air, told NBC News. "Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) has informed of the confirmation today, and we will be responding to the situation in steps with KCDC from this point on."
She reportedly worked on flights KE017 and KE012 on February 19 and 20 to and from Los Angeles International Airport.
The airline closed its operations center at Incheon Airport so it could be disinfected.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating the report but said that there have been no new cases of coronavirus reported in Los Angeles.
South Korean officials said there have been more than 1,200 confirmed cases in the country, which is the largest number outside of China. Globally there have been nearly 81,000 cases, and the death toll is approaching 3,000 people.
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