Pentagon has reported 1,300 coronavirus cases in the military as the holiday season approaches.
“We’ve seen a general uptick in Covid-19 positive cases as we head into the holiday season,” said Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman regarding the Covid-19 outbreak aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer. He added that the Defense Department is implementing measures to contain the spread of the virus.
On Nov. 26, the Pentagon will carry out a stricter health protection level, HPCON Bravo-Plus, which will keep people inside the Pentagon limited and require face coverings if the area cannot practice social distancing. Moreover, the Pentagon will increase the number of temperature checks on people entering the premises.
“These changes are based on authorities delegated in March, giving commanders the flexibility to respond in the best interest of their personnel by maintaining mission effectiveness,” Hoffman stressed. “We will of course keep everyone posted on additional force condition level changes,” he added.
The Pentagon posted over 1,300 new Covid-19 infections among the sister service branches, a new record for the military in a 24-hour period.
Meanwhile, Defense officials have previously claimed that a spike in coronavirus cases in the military will not affect operations, preparedness, or national security.
According to the Pentagon, there are already 110,982 Covid-19 cases; of those, 74,992 are active-duty military, 18,162 are civilians, 11,030 are dependents, and 6,798 are contractors. These figures include 67,165 recoveries and 124 deaths across the entire department.
The USS Michael Murphy, a guided-missile destroyer assigned to the Pacific fleet, was taken from training as nearly a quarter of the 300 sailors aboard the vessel contracted the virus.
The ship, now at Pearl Harbor, going through cleaning while the crew is under quarantine in Hawaii.
In a four-page letter, Capt. Brett Crozier called on senior military leaders to implement measures that will protect the sailors aboard the Roosevelt.
“We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset — our Sailors,” Crozier wrote in the letter dated March 30. “The spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating.”
Covid cases ahead of Thanksgiving
The number of US Covid infections has reached 200,000 ahead of Thanksgiving while the number of deaths is over 1,500 daily.
The new US Covid infections last Friday are an increase of 20% compared with a week ago, according to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Data suggests that the seven-day average of new infections rose by at least 5% week over week in 43 states and the District of Columbia.
The increase in cases causes a rise in hospitalizations and deaths. Over 82,100 Covid-19 patients are currently in hospitals across the country, more than at any point before during the pandemic, based on the data from the COVID Tracking Project, which is run by journalists at The Atlantic.
According to Dr. Henry Walke, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Covid-19 incident manager, they are “alarmed” by the “exponential increase in cases and hospitalizations and deaths.”
He explained there is “no more important time than now for each and every American to redouble our efforts to watch our distance, wash our hands and, most importantly, wear a mask.”
“CDC is recommending against travel during the Thanksgiving period,” he said. “For Americans who decide to travel, CDC recommends doing so as safely as possible by following the same recommendations for everyday living.”
Walke said that the CDC worries “about the transportation hubs.” He added that the public may not be able to observe social distancing while waiting in line, for example, when they use buses and planes.
Moreover, he revealed that 30% to 40% of the spread of the virus is caused by people without symptoms.
“From an individual household level, what’s at stake is basically increased chance of one of your loved ones becoming sick and then hospitalized and dying,” Walke said. “We certainly don’t want to see that happen. These times are tough. It’s been a long outbreak.”
