JIC RELEASE NO. 51 - Three Test Positive for COVID-19 via NHRC; Profiles of Earlier Confirmed Cases
Joint Information Center - JIC Release No. 51
April 4, 2020 2:25 p.m. (ChST)
Three (3) additional cases tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 through the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) in San Diego.
On Friday, the Department of Public Health and Social Services (DPHSS) tested 19 individuals
for COVID-19 with conclusive results. Two (2) tested positive through DPHSS and 17
tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. Only one batch of tests was run by the Guam Public
Health
Laboratory (GPHL) due to a quality assurance issue with the first batch. These tests
will be rerun today and included in results later this evening.
To date, a total of 87 cases tested positive with 20 patients who have recovered and four deaths.
Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 | ||
Tested by DPHSS Guam Public Health Lab (GPHL) |
Tested by NHRC |
Total |
78 | 9 | 87 |
Most of Guam COVID-19 known positive cases have epidemiological links to other confirmed
cases. Profiles of the 87 confirmed cases include reports of nine positive confirmed
cases
received from the U.S. Naval Hospital that were tested through the Department of Defense
and sent off island.
GENDER |
RESIDENTIAL LOCATION |
TRAVEL HISTORY* |
AGE GROUP |
Female: 41 Male: 46 |
North: 32 Central: 35 South: 13 Homeless: 2 Pending: 5 |
Dubai: 2 U.S.: 3 Japan: 1 Philippines: 11 Singapore: 1
*Some cases traveled to more than one country |
90+: 1 80-89: 4 70-79: 9 60-69: 24 50-59: 16 40-49: 15 30-39: 9 20-29: 8 10-19: 1 |
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to study the spread
and effects of the novel coronavirus across the United States. A significant portion
of individuals with coronavirus lack symptoms (“asymptomatic”) and even those who
eventually develop symptoms (“pre-symptomatic”) can transmit the virus to others before
showing symptoms. This means that the virus can spread between people interacting
in
close proximity—for example, speaking, coughing, or sneezing—even if those people
are not exhibiting symptoms.
In light of this new evidence, CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public
settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery
stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.
It is critical that people maintain six-feet social distancing to slow the spread
of the virus.
CDC is additionally advising the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread
of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting
it to others. Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home
from
common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health
measure.
The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators. Those
are
critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other
medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance. For more information,
visit the CDC
website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html
Joint Region Marianas (JRM) is aware of the photos of service members circulating on social media. The persons featured in the photos are not assigned to USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) or any of its embarked units.
One image showing groups of people standing near beach chairs was taken Saturday,
March 21, before the ship had even arrived at Guam. In a separate photo, JRM has
confirmed that some persons shown seated and standing in the water near the beach
are active-duty Sailors completing a rotational deployment to Guam. JRM Commander
Rear Adm. John Menoni has spoken with the Sailors' chain of command, who will conduct
all investigative and corrective actions.
In accordance with Health Protection Condition C and the Governor's Executive Order,
all service members on Guam are required to restrict unit and social group activities,
including at public beaches and parks, and to implement social distancing. JRM is
committed to enforcing these measures which are best practices for mitigating the
spread of COVID-19.
The Joint Information Center is aware of viral unverified messages circulating on
social media and chat groups. The community is reminded to only share verified, official
information with others. Visit the following links for the most up-to-date information:
● CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
● DPHSS website: https://dphss.guam.gov/covid-19
● GHS/OCD website: https://ghs.guam.gov/coronavirus-covid-19
For inquiries on COVID-19, local numbers can call 311 or contact the Joint Information Center at (671) 478-0208/09/10 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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