Air Force update for COVID-19

By Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs / Published April 14, 2020

WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- In an effort to minimize the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 and to prioritize the health and safety of Department of the Air Force personnel, the following modifications have been made:

April 14, 2020
The Air Force Reserve celebrates its 72nd birthday today. Lt. Gen. Richard Scobee in a video message said the reserve has been a part of every military operation since its beginning, supported humanitarian and defense for civil authorities missions and it currently on the frontlines battling the COVID-19 pandemic. Regardless of the mission Air Force Reserve Airmen have answered the nations call and will continue for decades to come.

In collaboration with the COVID-19 National Response Team, AFVentures has created an industry portal to assess and respond to challenges presented by the pandemic. This initiative was created as part of the Department of the Air Force's Acquisition COVID-19 Taskforce, or ACT, as a one-stop shop for defense industry, commercial companies and academia to share creative ideas with federal agencies to combat the virus.

Air Force doctors Maj. Evan Fisher, chief of Nephrology, and Maj. Matthew Koroscil, a Pulmonary and Critical Care specialist from the 88th Medical Group at the Wright-Patterson Medical Center, are leading the way in coordination with the Dayton medical community on a new drug protocol for COVID-19 patients. Their work on the project allowed Premier Health's Miami Valley Hospital to potentially lead the country in the administration of the Mayo Clinic-approved plasma protocol.

The Air Force is promoting a campaign to recognize those on the front lines battling the COVID-19 pandemic. Air Force Salutes is a way Airmen can honor someone in their community who doesn't wear the Air Force uniform but still embodies the Air Force core value of service before self.

In an effort to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak and to continue executing rapid global mobility operations, the U.S. Air Force's Air Mobility Command sent multiple airframes to participate in particle and airflow testing at Nebraska Air National Guard air base April 4-11, 2020.

Airmen and Soldiers with the West Virginia National Guard's Task Force Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Response Enterprise (CRE) (TF-CRE) test students and faculty from West Virginia University for COVID-19.

You can find imagery of here: https://www.dvidshub.net/image/6172593/wva-guard-test-wvu-faculty-and-staff-covid-19

Essential missions throughout the Air Force still continue even during this pandemic. Below are some links to stories on how these units have adapted to make sure they can continue to execute these missions despite COVID-19.

PRANG Airman helps ensure proper PPE for security forces during COVID-19 - https://www.dvidshub.net/news/367263/prang-airman-helps-ensure-proper-ppe-security-forces-during-covid-19

50th Contracting Squadron uses creativity to obtain supplies - https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2148448/50th-contracting-squadron-uses-creativity-to-obtain-supplies/

Dover reservists support nation's counterdrug effort - https://www.afrc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2147034/dover-reservists-support-nations-counterdrug-effort/

Be Ready, stay ready: First to the fight - https://www.acc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2148739/be-ready-stay-ready-first-to-the-fight/

Renovating for readiness - https://www.usafe.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2146822/renovating-for-readiness/

613th Air Operations Center maintains a healthy, ready force - https://www.pacaf.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2146119/613th-air-operations-center-maintains-a-healthy-ready-force/

Air Force Totals of COVID-19 Positive Cases as of 9 p.m., April 13, 2020.

USAF TOTAL STATS
	CASES	HOSPITALIZED	RECOVERED	DEATHS
MIL	294 (+6)	9	51 (+8)	0
CIV	153 (+3)	11 (+2)	16 (-6)*	0
DEP	150 (+8)	5	32 (-1)*	0
CTR	62 (+2)	4	7 (+1)	1
Total	659	29	106	1

* These negative deltas reflect corrected reports.

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Air Force update for COVID-19