SEOUL, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Six more U.S. soldiers in South Korea tested positive for COVID-19 amid the rising worry about a recent surge in locally confirmed cases, the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Monday.

The USFK said in a statement that six USFK service members were confirmed with the virus after arriving in South Korea between Aug. 10 and 21.

Four service members arrived at Osan Air Base aboard U.S. government-chartered flights from the United States on Aug. 10 and 19. Osan Air Base is located in Pyeongtaek, 70 km south of Seoul.

Two service members arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on commercial flights from the United States on Aug. 12 and 21.

The confirmed patients have been transferred to designated isolation facilities at Camp Humphreys or the Osan Air Base, both in Pyeongtaek.

The total number of infections among the USFK-affiliated personnel rose to 166, according to Yonhap news agency.

It came amid the growing worry here about the recent surge in locally confirmed cases.

In the latest tally, South Korea reported 266 more cases of COVID-19 for the past 24 hours, raising the total number of infections to 17,665.

The daily caseload fell below 300 for four days, but it grew in triple digits for 11 straight days owing to infections in Seoul and its surrounding Gyeonggi province linked to church services and a massive rally in mid-August.

"Despite the recent confirmed cases, USFK remains at a high level of readiness with less than 1 percent of its active duty service members currently confirmed positive with COVID-19," the USFK said.