By David Brennan
Diplomatic Correspondent
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U.S military officials have warned they will not "over-promise" on what the Pentagon can realistically do to help President Donald Trump's administration combat the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus strain currently wreaking havoc across the globe.
Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman and Joint Staff Surgeon Air Force Brigadier General Paul Friedrichs told reporters at a Monday briefing the nature of the U.S. military's medical infrastructure means its support of civilian anti-virus efforts will be limited and come with trade-offs.
"The Department of Defense is ready, willing and able to support civilian authorities to the greatest extent possible with the direction of the president," Hoffman said, though added: "We just want to make sure that the conversation that is being had is informed by the facts of what is possible, what is not, and what those trade-offs are."
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It has been suggested that the military may open up its hospitals to help deal with civilian overflow as the number of coronavirus cases soars in the coming weeks and months. But Hoffman said the Pentagon only has around 2 to 3 percent of the number of hospital beds in the private sector.
Friedrichs added that though the DOD runs 36 hospitals in the U.S., most are not set up to handle large numbers of coronavirus patients, many of whom will likely be elderly.
"Many of them are configured to support, as you might imagine, our immediate military needs," Friedrichs explained. "They take care of the active-duty population and their families and some retirees."
"There are not thousand-bed medical centers all over the United States," Friedrichs said. "They are, for the most part, small community hospitals. Our deployable hospitals range in size and range in capabilities that are very much focused and designed to take care of those in combat."
The military could also set up tent hospitals to help bear the expected coronavirus load, but these too are designed to treat trauma and combat casualties.
"What we're trying to be very careful of is not over-promising," Friedrichs said. "We want to be factual about what we have."
Hoffman added that military doctors are trained with a focus on trauma injuries sustained in combat, not to battle infectious diseases like coronavirus. "We have a much younger population that we're dealing with treating in our hospitals," he told reporters.
"And so all of these factor into what is that capability we have for a potential outbreak that generally has been more devastating to older persons who require a different type of attention than we normally do."
Freidrichs also warned that though National Guard and Medical Reserve Corps members could be mobilized to augment medical staff, this would leave holes elsewhere in communities.
"That directly impacts the community where they worked, and that's the trade-off that—whether it's a natural disaster, or the coronavirus or anything else that's part of the trade-off that we look at as we offer options going forward," he explained.
World Health Organization advice for avoiding spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Hygiene advice
- Clean hands frequently with soap and water, or alcohol-based hand rub.
- Wash hands after coughing or sneezing; when caring for the sick; before; during and after food preparation; before eating; after using the toilet; when hands are visibly dirty; and after handling animals or waste.
- Maintain at least 1 meter (3 feet) distance from anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
- Avoid touching your hands, nose and mouth. Do not spit in public.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or bent elbow when coughing or sneezing. Discard the tissue immediately and clean your hands.
Medical advice
- If you feel unwell (fever, cough, difficulty breathing) seek medical care early and call local health authorities in advance.
- Stay up to date on COVID-19 developments issued by health authorities and follow their guidance.
Mask usage
- Healthy individuals only need to wear a mask if taking care of a sick person.
- Wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing.
- Masks are effective when used in combination with frequent hand cleaning.
- Do not touch the mask while wearing it. Clean hands if you touch the mask.
- Learn how to properly put on, remove and dispose of masks. Clean hands after disposing of mask.
- Do not reuse single-use masks.
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