COVID hits Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center
At least 173 Marines have tested positive after traveling from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; Mammoth Lakes also sees increase in cases; Mono County is at risk of moving into a more restrictive tier
MONO COUNTY, Calif. -- At least 173 military service members and civilians have tested positive for the coronavirus at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center (MCMWTC) at Pickel Meadow, which could push Mono County back to a more restrictive tier.
The units at the MCMWTC came from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, a Marine spokesperson said. One service member was hospitalized and has since been released.
The spike in new cases accounts for 87 percent of Mono County’s total cases since the beginning of the pandemic and could move the county into the most restrictive tier, however Public Health officials have submitted an application to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) requesting that the state consider the county and the MCMWTC separately.
“These Marines came from Camp Lejeune and the COVID virus came with them,” MCMWTC Commanding Officer Col. Daniel Wittnam said. “Before this, we had zero COVID cases with the Marines that are stationed here at Pickel Meadow.”
Three units from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina arrived at Pickel Meadow for a training exercise in early October. Several service members from those units showed symptoms and tested positive before departure. They stayed back in North Carolina, but shortly after arriving at the training exercise several more Marines became sick and tested positive for the coronavirus.
Service members who were deployed to MCMWTC from North Carolina conducted a full sequestration period prior to deployment, according to Communications Officer 1st Lt. Dan Linfante. Those who appeared symptomatic prior to deploying were removed from the manifest, tested, and treated, and those who tested positive, or who were identified as close contacts during contact tracing, did not travel with the main body of the deployment; rather, they traveled at a later date.
Still, shortly after arriving more and more service members started showing symptoms and tested positive. The MCMWTC then tested all 1,500 service members and civilians at the training center. Of the 173 confirmed cases, 13 are stationed at Pickel Meadow including a civilian police officer, three spouses and a child. The positive tests were the first the MCMWTC has seen since the beginning of the pandemic.
As cases were confirmed, the infected were isolated in barracks at a lower base camp on the southeast side of Highway 108, but even before the outbreak, the service members were not out-and-about in the local communities.
According to MCMWTC executive communications officer Lt. Col. Adrian Armold, when units travel to Pickel Meadow for training, they are not allowed to leave for the duration of the exercise. There is no evidence that the military outbreak has increased infections in the local community, public health officials said.
“Dr. Erica Pan, the acting State Health Officer, and other CDPH officials seemed receptive to our explanation of the situation in Mono County,” Public Health Officer Dr. Tom Boo said in a statement yesterday.
“As we make this request to try to stay out of the (most restrictive) purple tier, I am increasingly concerned that we are seeing more cases in Mono County that are not related to the Marine Corps outbreak.”
Link: Understand California’s criteria tier status and restrictions
In the first week of November, there were 15 new positive cases of the coronavirus unrelated to the military outbreak. Most of the cases are in Mammoth Lakes. This is the highest weekly total since July and exceeds the 14 cases per week that are permitted in the county’s current status in Tier 3 Orange.
“Another such week and we will probably move to Tier 2 Red later this month, regardless of what happens with the adjudication request related to the Marine Base,” Dr. Boo said. “Increased restrictions will cause more economic hardship, adversely affecting many businesses and workers.”
There are currently 61 cases pending.
The seven-day positivity rate in Mono County, including all cases, reached an all-time high of 25 percent in the first week of November. California’s seven-day positivity rate is 4.2 percent, up from 2.9 percent the week prior. Positive cases are on the rise across the country.
According to the New York Times COVID dashboard, at least 745 new coronavirus deaths and 130,553 new cases were reported in the United States on November 9. Over the past week, there has been an average of 116,448 cases per day, an increase of 64 percent from the average two weeks earlier.
A few countries in Europe have implemented strict lock-down orders again.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 90,000 American military service members and civilians have contracted the coronavirus, according to the Department of Defense. More than 60,000 have recovered and 111 military service members have died of the coronavirus.
The next training exercise at the MCMWTC is scheduled for January 2021.
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