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Emergency Operations Center continues coordinating JBSA’s COVID-19 response
February 12, 2021 — It’s been one year. The world has been in the throes of the coronavirus pandemic and Joint Base San Antonio is no exception. A team of dedicated professionals has been on duty protecting military service members and their families and, ultimately, the entire United States. ... MORE

Members of the Joint Base San Antonio Emergency Operations Center perform their duties Feb. 11 at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. The EOC has been the command and control hub for emergency operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Army Medicine AIT marks significant milestone in fight against COVID-19
February 12, 2021 — The U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence, or MEDCoE, a part of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, or TRADOC, marked a significant milestone Feb. 11 in their fight against COVID-19, safely transporting more than 10,000 Advanced Individual Training, or AIT, trainees into and out of the soldier training pipeline since COVID-19 mitigation measures began in early April 2020. ... MORE

Spc. Angela Thresher (center), a 68W Combat Medic who was identified as the 10,000th Soldier to depart from the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence in a controlled manner as part of the COVID-19 pandemic, speaks with Maj. Gen. Dennis LeMaster, MEDCoE commanding general and MEDCoE Command Sgt. Maj. Clark Charpentier.

SAMHS vaccinates beneficiaries 75 and older
February 11, 2021 — Warrior medics from the 59th Medical Wing were out Feb. 6 at Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, working tirelessly to vaccinate the local 75-plus-age population... MORE

Maj. Carla Cox, 59th Medical Wing commander’s executive officer, vaccinates a San Antonio Military Health System beneficiary Feb. 6 at Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland.

ARNORTH to oversee military COVID-19 vaccination support to FEMA in California
February 11, 2021 — At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, 222 Soldiers from Fort Carson, Colorado, will deploy to Los Angeles, California, to support a state-run, federally supported COVID-19 vaccination center there. U.S. Army North, the Joint Force Land Component Command of U.S Northern Command, will oversee the military COVID-19 response operation in support of state and federal vaccination efforts... MORE

At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, 222 Soldiers from Fort Carson, Colorado, will deploy to Los Angeles, California, to support a state-run, federally supported COVID-19 vaccination center there. U.S. Army North, the Joint Force Land Component Command of U.S Northern Command, will oversee the military COVID-19 response operation in support of state and federal vaccination efforts.

SAMHS to consolidate COVID-19 screening
February 11, 2021 — In an effort to preserve clinic access and inpatient staffing while maximally supporting FEMA, the San Antonio Military Health System is centralizing COVID-19 screening to a single location at Brooke Army Medical Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston... MORE

This illustration reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses.

Maintaining good mental health vital through ongoing pandemic
February 9, 2021 — The ongoing coronavirus outbreak has created new challenges for everyone. Normal routines have been replaced by unfamiliar isolation and adjustments to home-life, work, and school... MORE

Public health actions, such as social distancing, are necessary to reduce the spread of COVID-19, but they can make us feel isolated and lonely and can increase stress and anxiety. Learning to cope with stress in a healthy way will make you, the people you care about, and those around you become more resilient.

DOD announces use of masks, other public health measures
February 5, 2021 — Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III signed a memo Feb. 4 that, effective immediately, directs all individuals on military installations and all individuals performing official duties on behalf of the Department from any location other than the individual’s home, including outdoor shared spaces, to wear masks in accordance with the most current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines... MORE

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has ordered a DOD-wide stand down to discuss the problem of extremism in the ranks, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said Feb. 3.

DOD experts explain science behind COVID-19 vaccines
February 2, 2021 — Almost six weeks after the Food and Drug Administration issued emergency use authorization for the first two COVID-19 vaccines, many questions have arisen concerning their efficacy in attacking the SARS-CoV-2 virus and deadly COVID-19 disease. To better understand how COVID-19 vaccines work, MHS Communications spoke to two medical experts who have been intimately involved in the Department of Defense’s effort to develop and roll out vaccines for Americans... MORE

COVID-19 convalescent plasma; how to save a life today
February 2, 2021 — The Department of Defense Blood Donation Centers are looking for volunteers to donate COVID-19 convalescent plasma. ... MORE

Fighting through COVID: 502nd OSS Airman perseveres through pandemic
February 1, 2021 — The coronavirus pandemic has affected every aspect of human life, including military operations at Joint Base San Antonio. Service members continue to do a stellar job even while making significant adjustments to their daily routines. Tech. Sgt. Tammy Valles is one such Airman. ... MORE

The coronavirus pandemic has affected every aspect of human life, including military operations at Joint Base San Antonio.

San Antonio Military Health System starts next phase of COVID vaccine rollout
January 27, 2021 — The San Antonio Military Health System is starting the next phase of the Department of Defense’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout -- expanding the scope of who is eligible to get vaccinated against the virus... MORE

Air Force Senior Airman Kasey Ginn, medical technician, administers the COVID-19 vaccine to Army Capt. Christine Kasprisin, physical therapist, at Brooke Army Medical Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston Jan. 26.

ARNORTH to oversee new military COVID-19 response in Texas, adjust support in two states
January 27, 2021 — At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, approximately 80 military medical personnel from across the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Air Force, will deploy to Texas as part of a Department of Defense COVID-19 response operation. U.S. Army North, the Joint Force Land Component Command of U.S Northern Command, will oversee the military COVID-19 response in support of federal efforts and the state... MORE

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jarimaris Garcia, a registered nurse stationed at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, prepares medical equipment for incoming patients within the emergency department of Del Sol Medical Center, El Paso, Texas, Nov. 24, 2020.

DHA director visits JBSA vaccination sites, discusses medical market certification
January 26, 2021 — Joint Base San Antonio’s role in Operation Warp Speed, the whole-of-nation response to COVID-19, and ongoing vaccination efforts were the highlight of a visit by U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Ronald Place, director of the Defense Health Agency, this week. MORE

Army Lt. Gen. Ronald Place, Director, Defense Health Agency, talks with Spc. Aaron Neuenschwander, health care specialist, at Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, Jan. 20, 2021.

479th Flying Training Group receives COVID-19 vaccine
January 26, 2021 — The 479th Flying Training Group, the Air Force’s only Undergraduate Combat Systems Officer Training pipeline, notched a significant milestone in their battle with the COVID-19 pandemic Jan. 22 at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. The 479th Flying Training Group comes under the 12th Flying Training Wing at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph... MORE

ARNORTH supports whole-of-government COVID-19 pandemic response
January 26, 2021 — U.S. Northern Command, through U.S. Army North, remains committed to providing flexible U.S. Department of Defense support to the whole-of-America COVID-19 response... MORE

Lt. Gen. Laura J. Richardson, commanding general of U.S. Army North (Fifth Army) and the Joint Force Land Component Command, left, and Command Sgt. Maj. Phil K. Barretto, U.S. Army North and JFLCC senior enlisted leader, center, speak with 1st Lt. Elena Naumova, a critical care nurse with the 328th Urban Augmentation Medical Task Force, far right, during their visit to the Gallup Indian Medical Center, Gallup, New Mexico, Jan. 12, 2021.

DHA director visits JBSA vaccination sites, discusses medical market certification
January 25, 2021 — Joint Base San Antonio’s role in Operation Warp Speed, the whole-of-nation response to COVID-19, and ongoing vaccination efforts were the highlight of a visit by U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Ronald Place, director of the Defense Health Agency, last week... MORE

Army Lt. Gen. Ronald Place, Director, Defense Health Agency, talks with Army Lt. Col. Elizabeth Markelz, Chief of Infectious Disease, and Army Lt. Col. Robert Walter, Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, at Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, Jan. 20, 2021. Place said there is no location in DoD that has seen more COVID-positive cases or COVID-positive workload than the medical facilities at JBSA, lauding the relationship between the military health system here and their involvement in the community.

MEDCoE adds antigen testing lab to COVID-19 mitigation strategy
January 25, 2021 — It took nearly 8,000 COVID antigen tests, at least that many screenings and 14 days of restriction of movement, but in-person learning at the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence, or MEDCoE, safely resumed after post-holiday block leave reintegration recently at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston... MORE

Pfc. Jagher Jones with Company A, 232nd Medical Battalion, testing COVID-19 antigen samples.

New Defense Secretary arrives at Pentagon, convenes COVID meeting
January 22, 2021 — Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III arrived at the Pentagon Jan. 22 and hit the ground running, greeting the senior staff and then immediately heading into meetings on combating coronavirus... MORE

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III stands next to a man holding up his right hand facing another man.

Partnerships, COVID-19 are catalysts for enterprise virtual health
January 21, 2021 — In the pre-COVID-19 world, nearly all health care was delivered in person within brick-and-mortar facilities. Telehealth, referred to in the Defense Department as virtual health or VH, was a promise of the future — a capability whose time had not quite yet arrived... MORE

Zekelia Rembert and Anna Moore, virtual health nurse care coordinators, coordinate virtual health projects and outline participating Military Treatment Facilities at the Virtual Medical Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston May 16, 2019.

Biden, Harris sworn in as America's new leaders
January 20, 2021 — Unity of the American people will lead to a path forward as the country starts afresh, said President Joe Biden, who was inaugurated as the country's 46th president along with Vice President Kamala Harris Jan. 20... MORE

A woman and an older man put their hands on a large wreath that sits on a stand.