Analysis / Covid-19

Covid-19 Response Update: October 30-November 6

Combating Covid-19 Series

This is CSIS’s weekly roundup of major updates on the military and the novel coronavirus since Friday, October 30. It explores what the military has done to combat Covid-19 and how the military has in turn been affected by the virus.

New Department of Defense (DoD) cases of Covid-19 rose this week with the 7-day average increasing by 22 percent over the previous week to 855. DoD new cases are continuing to follow the rise in cases among the U.S. population. This Friday’s reported new cases are the highest they have been since the start of the pandemic. Deaths rose by three this week to reach 111 as of this Friday, November 6.

Major Updates

  • November 2: DoD announced that active duty personnel traveling via Patriot Express flights may be subjected to random rapid, on-site Covid-19 testing.
  • November 4: US military bases in Italy are considering implementing new coronavirus restrictions, after the Italian government imposed a national curfew in response to the country’s increase in Covid-19 cases.
  • November 5: The Navy has started its second multinational exercise in the Bay of Bengal, finding ways to continue exercises and operations through the Covid-19 pandemic.

Military Cases of Covid-19

How DoD cases have been trending over time is broken down below, by new cases; total cases; active cases in the DoD; and across the military services.

Methodological note: 1) Monday, Wednesday, and Friday totals are divided across the intervening days and weekends since DoD Covid-19 updates are only released during the work week on a M-W-F basis. 2) Adjustments were made on April 9 and April 15 when new cases where negative. These days were totaled and divided by the previous day to account for the correction. 3) DoD appeared to change the way cases were reported between April 15-Aprilt 16. A resulting spike in cases on April 16 was divided over the two prior days to account for this methodological shift.

This weekly update is made possible by the International Security Program at CSIS.

(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

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