(VOVworld) – The Republic of Korea confirmed Thursday that a man who died a day earlier had been infected with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), the third fatality in a virus outbreak that has fueled growing alarm in the country.

People wearing face masks walk through a subway station in Seoul (photo:reuters)

According to the Health Ministry, the 82-year old South Korean, hospitalized with asthma and bacterial pneumonia, had shared a room with others infected with MERS, and died on Wednesday night. The victim became the 36th confirmed MERS infection in South Korea.

Also on Thursday, more than 1,100 schools were closed in South Korea as the government tried to calm its people amid the outbreak of MERS. Since South Korea’s first case of MERS on May 20, about 1,600 people, suspected for having been directly or indirectly exposed to the virus, have been quarantined.