Two more members of K-pop idol group Seventeen have been diagnosed with Covid-19 as South Korea continues to battle the surge of cases due to the highly contagious Omicron variant.
South Korea recorded 202,721 new Covid-19 cases on March 8 to bring the total confirmed cases to 4.86 million, according to data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
On Marcy 8, Pledis Entertainment announced that Seventeen members Joshua and Jun have tested positive for Covid-19. Including the two, there are now nine members of Seventeen who have been infected with the disease in nearly four weeks since Feb. 12.
“Joshua took a self-test and was tested negative on Monday, March 7. However, he took a PCR test as a proactive measure and was confirmed with Covid-19 on the morning of Tuesday, March 8,” the agency said.
It added, “June took a rapid antigen test as a proactive measure and was tested positive on Monday, March 7. He promptly took a PCR test and was confirmed with Covid-19 on the morning of Tuesday, March 8. Joshua and Jun are currently not exhibiting any symptoms and are administering self-treatment at home.”
“All Seventeen members other than S.Coups, Hoshi, Wonwoo, The 8, DK, Seungkwan and Vernon all preemptively took self-test kits on Monday, the 7th, which all the results came back as negative and are not exhibiting any symptoms. Therefore, it would be difficult for Joshua and Jun to take part in Seventeen’s activities for a while. We will provide you with updates on their activity resumption,” added Pledis.
The agency said, “The 8 was tested negative on the self-test kit on Saturday, March 5. However, as he experienced a very mild cough, The 8 preemptively took a PCR test on Saturday, March 5 and was confirmed with Covid-19 on the morning of Monday, March 7. The 8 is currently not exhibiting any symptoms and is administering self-treatment at home.”
From Feb. 12 to March 8, nine of the 13 members of Seventeen tested positive for Covid-19.
Members DK, Seungkwan and S.Coups were diagnosed with Covid-19 on March 5. Hoshi tested positive for the disease on March 3.
Vernon was confirmed to have Covid-19 on Feb. 25 and fully recovered on March 3. Wonwoo tested positive for Covid-19 on Feb. 12 and recovered on Feb. 18.
At least 200 Korean stars, mostly K-pop idols, have tested positive for Covid-19 since Jan. 19.
The Covid-19 infections among Seventeen prompted Pledis Entertainment to postpone the group’s special live meeting event with fans scheduled on March 7.