As tens of thousands of National Guard troops move in, about and out of Washington, D.C., concerns over COVID-19 prevention and the virus spreading throughout the Guard force present continue.
At its peak, the National Guard force in D.C. topped 25,000 Guard troops. Since President Joe Biden's inauguration, many of those troops have left D.C. to return to their home stations, others have stayed put and even more have traveled to the city to form the longterm security and support requested by various agencies in the nation's capital.
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With such a large, ever-moving population of troops, many have voiced concern over how COVID-19 is spreading within that population.
Earlier this week, Pentagon officials reported that 200 Guard troops on the D.C. mission had tested positive for COVID-19. And while they are "very concerned" about these cases, Chief of the National Guard Bureau Gen. Dan Hokanson pointed out that 200 out of roughly 25,000 is still less than 1% of the total force in the city. Of the 400 Guard troops the Washington National Guard sent to D.C., six contracted COVID-19. Of the 286 troops supplied by the California National Guard, only one has tested positive.
During a National Guard briefing Friday, however, Guard officials reported the COVID-19 infection rate has been anywhere between 1% to 3% at any given time. More than 25,000 Guard troops have moved through and within the city in recent weeks, meaning close to 800 could potentially be COVID-positive.
A 3% infection rate, even as the high-end estimate provided by the Guard, would be significantly lower than the general military population. The general military population is now reporting an infection rate of 8.8%, Pentagon officials shared during a briefing on Thursday -- and the general military population has not been sleeping in close, enclosed quarters like troops on the D.C. Guard mission have.
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That 8.8% infection rate, if applied to the D.C. Guard mission, could mean 2,288 infected soldiers who either remain in D.C. or who have traveled back to their home stations, if the infection rate is similar to the force at large. Politico reported earlier this week that the infection rate may be even higher than the general military population -- around 10% to 15%.
Guard troops in D.C. who test positive for COVID-19 are being quarantined in local hotels where they receive at least three daily visits and are monitored using a buddy system. None of the COVID-positive troops on the D.C. Guard mission have required hospitalization, officials said Thursday.
The National Guard has declined to provide more concrete numbers regarding COVID-19 infection cases within the D.C. operation citing operational security concerns.