WASHINGTON — In a pandemic excessive for the U.S. Navy base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, the hospital there on Friday reported 69 confirmed coronavirus instances amongst about 6,000 residents on the bottom.
Not one of the contaminated individuals required hospitalization, medical evacuation or monoclonal antibody remedy, stated Daybreak Grimes, the spokeswoman on the base hospital, which serves each the group and the detention operation holding 39 wartime prisoners.
She didn’t touch upon whether or not any of the prisoners or roughly 1,500 army members and civilian staff who employees the operation had examined constructive.
Practically all the 69 individuals who examined constructive for the virus had been absolutely vaccinated, Ms. Grimes stated. A couple of have been partly vaccinated.
On Tuesday, the bottom commander, Capt. Samuel White, reinstated an indoor masks mandate for all residents in response to what he known as “this uptick in instances.” That day, Ms. Grimes reported that 17 individuals on the bottom had examined constructive since Dec. 1, all however certainly one of them absolutely vaccinated.
Till this week, solely the estimated 900 unvaccinated individuals on the bottom had been required to put on masks indoors, making for crowds of unmasked patrons within the base’s Irish pub and on the gymnasium.
Ms. Grimes stated Friday that, in response to the surge, the bottom was requiring vaccinated guests and returning residents to be examined on arrival, isolate for a minimum of three days, after which be examined once more earlier than they’ll rejoin the group. Unvaccinated individuals have been constantly required to quarantine for 2 weeks upon arrival.
She added that public well being staff had at instances this week carried out about 250 checks in a single day, and that the small group hospital had enough testing capability to do extra if wanted.
“Our Covid-19 hotline workforce continues to discipline calls across the clock to reply Covid-19-related questions and to offer screening for people who’re experiencing signs,” she stated.
The bottom additionally launched round the clock curbside testing on the hospital, which sends its most severe or advanced instances to america for army medical care. The detainees are the exception: The Pentagon sends specialists, together with neurosurgeons with specialised gear, to deal with the prisoners, a lot of whom are approaching their third decade in U.S. detention.
Instances rose after a Navy ship from Jacksonville, Fla., the usS. Milwaukee, stayed on the base pier from Christmas by way of New 12 months’s with about one-fourth of its 105-member crew contaminated. Most had gentle or asymptomatic instances.
Guantánamo has reported an 85 p.c vaccination fee, which means roughly 900 base residents declined or have been ineligible for vaccines. A few of them are the younger kids of sailors and Navy contractors who reside in suburban-style housing on the bottom.