There are troops in Afghanistan exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, according to Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis. But they don't have testing kits.
"We were contacted about a military base, 75 miles from the Iranian border, where a number of military personnel have flu-like symptoms but have tested negative for the flu," Pocan said in a release last Thursday. "The base is only a few miles from a town in Afghanistan with 5 known positive cases for coronavirus."
The information came from the family member of a soldier in Afghanistan, according to Military.com. Pocan's office reached out to the Department of Defense to inquire about testing kits in the region.
"After following up, they are still unable to tell us yes or no answer—does every military base overseas have current access to coronavirus kits?" Pocan's release reads. "The fact that we cannot figure out this basic answer for our troops serving abroad is very concerning. I hope that the military can get us an affirmative answer immediately."
On Friday, Pocan's office sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper asking for information on the department's preparedness and response planning to be provided within 24 hours.
"Senior military officials who travel from installation to installation may be unknowingly contributing to the spread of COVID-19 among servicemembers serving in some of the most vulnerable regions of the world," the letter reads.
By Monday morning, Pocan's office had not received a response. 10 service members have tested positive for COVID-19.
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