Kodiak Coast Guard unit braces for more spread of COVID-19

The coronavirus outbreak at the Kodiak Coast Guard base continues to spread, and the problem is likely to get worse over the next few weeks.

Since an air station member tested positive for the virus a week ago, hundreds of service members have been screened.

“Based on our close contact tracing efforts, now we have 13 people that are infected,” said base commander Capt. Edward Hernaez.

Among those cases: a crew member from the Coast Guard Cutter Spar, a clinic staffer on base and a student at a Kodiak school.

The first cases involved air station members, who had traveled off-island on assignment. Last week, Peterson Elementary School closed briefly for deep cleaning and disinfection, after a student from a Coast Guard family tested positive.

As more test results become available this week, Hernaez says more will be known about the extent of the Coast Guard’s exposure to the virus.

“With the continued incubation period for the virus, we can anticipate more cases to surface,” said the base commander. “And the hope of that is, we have confined that particular possibility to our close contact circle. And so that, as those members are in quarantine, they are not impacting others when they present symptoms.”

Hernaez said the outbreak began with service members working in close quarters – and it’s possible that it may have spread further at an event such as a dinner or house party. The base commander said, so far contact tracing at the base has shown that those who took precautions may have protected themselves from exposure.

“The wearing of masks can be the deciding factor of being a close contact that’s impacted, or potentially impacted — and being somebody that was present but not at risk, because you are wearing a mask,” Hernaez said.

 The Coast Guard has raised the Kodiak base’s risk level to red status, the highest threat level. Dozens of Coast Guard members and their dependents are currently in quarantine, but Hernaez says the facility remains mission ready.

“We are focused on our efforts to ensure that we are corralling this outbreak and hopefully confining it to just the Coast Guard population.”

In a message to service members, Hernaez said, “This is the biggest crisis that we have faced together.”

He said he wanted to impress upon them how dangerous and unprecedented the virus is.

“At least in the recent history of Coast Guard operations out of Kodiak, we haven’t had this widespread type of pandemic,” Hernaez said. “This can impact not only our Coast Guard operations but could very well impact the community of Kodiak as a whole.”