So far, six rescue personnel working to find survivors and victims of the recent Miami Beach-area condo partial collapse have tested positive for COVID-19, NBC reported Saturday.
The report did not specify whether the individuals tested positive for the Delta variant of the virus or if they were vaccinated.
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Since the Champlain Towers South condominium building in Surfside, Fla., collapsed late last month, 424 rescue workers have been called to the site. Those who tested positive for COVID-19 are firefighters from a Florida rescue team outside Miami-Dade County who came to assist in search efforts, according to Miami-Dade Fire Chief Alan Cominsky.
"Unfortunately, this is another challenge, but something that we've been dealing with for over the past year in regards to the medical field and our first responders managing throughout Covid," he told reporters Friday.
Officials said Saturday that task force teams who had positive cases have been removed from the scene and authorities have started a contact tracing program. According to Reuters, they also said that demolition of the remainder of the partially collapsed building could be done Sunday to prevent further possible damage to the nearby area that might be caused by Tropical Storm Elsa.
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As of Saturday, there are 24 confirmed deaths due to the collapse and 124 people are still unaccounted for.
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