Veteran Affairs medical facilities have been hit with a surge of more than 2,000 COVID-19 patients at VA health system sites, Military Times reported.
As of Thursday, 78 patients had died, in a sharp escalation in just the last few days, the military news site reported. All or most of the fatalities have been among patients 50 or older, officials said.
Across all VA sites, 2,184 patients have tested positive for the fast-spreading coronavirus. One week ago, the number was under 600.
In a statement, department leaders promised “an aggressive public health response to protect and care for veterans, their families, health care providers, and staff in the face of this emerging health risk.”
That includes work with the CDC and the possibility of accepting some non-veteran patients at VA medical centers to provide relief to overtaxed local health care systems.
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