Army Medical Unit Deploying To Aid Coronavirus Response

SEATTLE, WA — The army is deploying more than 300 medical personnel to help Washington as health care providers struggle with the coronavirus outbreak. The Army announced the move Tuesday, saying the deployed medics will mostly work as a support or back-up, handling routine medical cases while medical professionals in Washington continue to focus their efforts on COVID-19.

The deployed troops will be coming from the 627th Hospital Center in Fort Carson, Colorado. As the Seattle Times reports, the unit is capable of running a 148-bed field hospital. It is unknown exactly when they will be deployed, but the army says it is currently working to make sure their absence won't hinder the hospital before they move out.

In the announcement, Fort Carson says this deployment is just part of the army's growing effort to combat the virus:

"This response is part of the whole-of-nation approach to fighting COVID-19. The Army is working with interagency partners - including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Defense Military Health System and others - to support and protect our military force and the American people."