SEOUL, June 15 -- The South Korean Health Ministry on Monday reported two more deaths from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), along with five new cases that took the total number of people diagnosed in the country to 150.

According to the ministry, one of the deceased was a 58-year-old who had diabetes and the other was a 61-year-old with unknown medical history. So far, the number of MERS-related deaths in South Korea has reached 16.

Meanwhile, five more MERS cases were added in the country, taking the total to 150 in the outbreak that is the largest outside Saudi Arabia. The ministry said that 17 of those diagnosed were currently in unstable condition.

The ministry also said that nearly all infections have occurred at hospitals that had unknowingly treated MERS patients.

South Korea has isolated those who have had close contact with MERS patients since the first case was found on May 20.

MERS is a respiratory illness caused by a new type of corona-virus, similar to the SARS virus that killed more than 770 people worldwide following a 2003 outbreak. There is no known vaccine or treatment for MERS, of which the fatality rate reaches 40.7 percent.

The first MERS case was spotted in Saudi Arabia in 2012. The World Health Organization has reported more than 1,000 cases of MERS globally and more than 400 deaths.