Two more U.S. service members have died from COVID-19, bringing the official number of service members killed by the coronavirus to 19.
The two deaths were first noted in Wednesday’s update of the online chart the Pentagon maintains of coronavirus cases connected to the department.
A Pentagon spokesperson identified the service members as an Air National Guard member from Alabama and an Army National Guard member from California, and directed The Hill to each state’s National Guard for more information.
In California, the Guard confirmed Sgt. Goran Dimovski, 40, died Sunday. His unit, the 640th Aviation Support Battalion, 40th Combat Aviation Brigade, is preparing to deploy overseas this month, the California National Guard said.
The Alabama National Guard identified its service member as Master Sgt. Darryl Lovell, 58, who died Jan. 28. Lovell, who was not on duty status at the time of his death, was assigned to the 117th Logistics Readiness Squadron, where he worked as a material management craftsman.
“Anytime we lose an Alabama Guardsman it is a tragedy,” Alabama Guard spokesperson Maj. Jacqueline Whitt said in a statement. “Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the family.”
The two guardsmen join six other National Guardsmen who have died from COVID-19, as well as eight reservists.
In addition, three active-duty service members have died from the disease: a Navy sailor and two Army soldiers.
Overall, the Pentagon has reported 225,753 coronavirus cases as of Wednesday, according to the department’s online chart.
The total cases reported Wednesday include 143,272 in the military, 45,106 among civilians, 23,034 among dependents and 14,341 among contractors.
Among military cases, 1,346 service members have been hospitalized over the course of the pandemic and 95,649 have recovered.
In addition to the 19 military deaths, there have been 164 civilian deaths, nine dependent deaths and 60 contractor deaths, according to the Pentagon data.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, the Defense Department has received 872,325 doses of COVID-19 vaccine and has administered 508,965 of those. That includes 75,347 people have gotten the full two-dose regimen, according to the CDC.
Updated at 2:12 p.m. Feb. 4.
Recent Comments