On Mar. 9, a U.S. Navy civilian employee at the US Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) in Falls Church, Virginia, tested “presumptive positive” for the coronavirus (COVID-19), marking the first positive case of a U.S. Navy civilian in Virginia. The individual is currently at a hospital in Northern Virginia under medical care in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guidelines. The positive test result is considered a presumptive positive, pending confirmatory testing by CDC.

Personnel that the individual immediately identified having close contact with have been notified and are in self-isolation at their residence.

Military health professionals are conducting a thorough contact investigation to determine whether any other personnel may have been in close contact and possibly exposed. Depending on the results of that investigation, additional precautionary measures may be taken.

BUMED is committed to taking every measure possible to protect the health of our force. We remain in close coordination with state and federal authorities, and public health authorities to ensure the well-being of our personnel and local population.