Seoul, Shawwal 11, 1436 AH, July 27, 2015, SPA -- The last suspected Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) patient in South Korea was removed from isolation on Monday, dpa quoted news report. It had been three weeks since the country reported a new case of the disease, and Monday's release suggested the country does not expect any more new cases, Yonhap News Agency reported. More than 16,000 people have been subject to isolation since the country reported its first MERS case on May 20, Yonhap said. They have all been released as of Monday. Twelve people who had been positively diagnosed with the virus were still hospitalized, although 11 of those had since been declared free of MERS, Yonhap reported. The disease killed at least 530 people throughout the world, with afatality rate of 36 per cent, it said. The fatality rate in the Korean outbreak was significantly lower. South Korea was expected to announce a "de facto" end to MERS early next month, Yonhap reported. -- SPA 11:16 LOCAL TIME 08:16 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w