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S. Korea confirms additional MERS case, death toll remains at 33

South Korea reported an additional case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) Friday, bringing the total number of people diagnosed with the disease to 186.

The death toll from the viral respiratory disease stands at 33 as no fatalities have been reported over the past five days, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said.

The latest case involved a 50-year-old woman whose husband had been infected with MERS while staying at the Samsung Medical Center on May 27 and 28. He was confirmed with the disease on June 12 and released from the hospital Friday, the ministry said.

The hospital run by Samsung Group has been responsible for nearly half of all infections here since the first outbreak on May 20. It is currently shut down indefinitely.

Out of the 186 people diagnosed with MERS so far, 37 remain hospitalized, while 12 of them are in critical condition, according to health officials. So far, 116 have been discharged following complete recoveries.

The number of people under quarantine measures for possible contraction fell from 1,434 to 984, while a total of 15,158 have been released from isolation, the ministry said.

MERS is a viral respiratory disease first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012. The fatality rate of the disease had been tallied at over 40 percent until the outbreak here as there is no vaccine or treatment for the disease.

In South Korea, the fatality rate of the disease remains at around 18 percent. (Yonhap)