NORFOLK, Va. — An unidentified member of the Texas Air National Guard is the ninth member of the U.S. military to be killed by the coronavirus.
That death was noted Wednesday on the Department of Defense's website.
Since the pandemic began, more than 86,000 people associated with the D.o.D. have tested positive for the virus. Of them, more than 1,700 have been hospitalized.
Over 56,000 have recovered and overall, 111 people have died, including civilians.
Here are the stats:
- The Army has reported more than 22,000 cases.
- The Navy has reported more than 12,000 cases.
- The Air Force has reported more than 9,000 cases.
- The Marine Corps has reported more than 7,000 cases.
- The National Guard has recorded almost 7.000 cases.
- Department of Defense agencies have reported more than 400 cases.
The most well-known coronavirus impact on the military was the USS Theodore Roosevelt with more than 1,100 sailors testing positive and one crew member dying.
Military leaders are concerned about the toll that the pandemic is having, not only on the physical health but on the mental well-being of the troops, as the Air Force's Air Combat Command's Mental Health Chief discussed in a recent blog.
"Even if you can just recognize what we're going through is stressful across the board, and that nobody is enjoying the last eight months of the challenges that we've faced, reach out for help," said LCOL Michael Murphy. "I think what's really important to remember is the way that we get the mission done is by keeping COVID-19 out of the workplace. And the way that we do that is by focusing on the fundamentals: good handwashing, maintaining physical distance, mask-wear, and when you're symptomatic, stay away from work and talk to a health care provider."
Meanwhile, the military-led "Operation Warp Speed" continues work to produce and deliver 300 million doses of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines to Americans, with the stated goal of initial doses being available by January 2021.