The number of military members infected by the coronavirus nearly doubled since Friday to 133, with hospitalizations rising from one to seven. The first death was also reported, a contractor in Crystal City, Virginia.
As of Friday, 67 members of the military were known to be infected with the virus. Rising numbers reflect increased testing as thousands more Department of Defense personnel remain in quarantine and self-isolation at military installations worldwide.
More than 1,300 civilians, passengers from the cruise ship Grand Princess, remain quarantined at four military bases in the United States.
The Department of Defense contractor who died of COVID-19 Saturday worked for the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. His co-workers have been teleworking.
The DOD’s breakdown of positive cases, including a correction for dependents, includes 133 members of the military, 44 civilians, 35 dependents, and 31 contractors. The number of dependents as reported Friday was 26.
The Pentagon reported recoveries of four members of the military and one civilian. Fifteen total individuals remain hospitalized.
On Friday, two groups of Americans in Honduras, including a U.S. women’s football team, returned on a C-17 and C-130 from Soto Cano Air Base, where the U.S. maintains a military presence. Both were scheduled to land at Joint Base Charleston, according to United States Southern Command.
In support of domestic COVID-19 response efforts, Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy deployed Monday from San Diego, California.
The Army Corps of Engineers also began a Federal Emergency Management Agency assignment to plan medical facility shortfalls across the country, and the U.S. Army activated 10 units at FEMA regional headquarters to coordinate federal military assistance requests.
The Air Force also flew an en-route patient staging system to the Italian Ministry of Defense to help that country support up to 40 patients in a 24-hour period.
