Features COVID ALERT: The Challenges of Transferring COVID Patients at Sea By LT Colton Schiefer, USN
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OVID-19 had already been declared a pandemic for half a a year by the time Detachment 4 of Helicopter Sea Combat (HSC) Squadron 26 began pre-deployment work up cycles with the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (IWO ARG). The virus, despite being microscopic, was the most visible threat of daily operations for Sailors underway. The IWO ARG had the complex challenge of meeting the predeployment exercise’s requirements while keeping a novel and indifferent virus at bay. One key concern was how the ship would operate while bringing thousands of Sailors and Marines together from multiple bases along the country’s eastern seaboard. All personnel were required to wear face masks, following the CDC and Navy/Marine Corps guidelines, to mitigate spread of the virus in the event it made its way onboard.
Chad Obermeyer, left, assigned to Fleet Surgical Team (FST) 6, explains how the COVID-19 vaccine works to Operations Specialist Seaman Kevin Howard in the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima's (LHD 7) Medical Ward. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Brenton Poyser.
Sailors and Marines quickly became accustomed to wearing the masks day after day at all times–aside from while eating, sleeping, or showering. Breathing while conducting labor intensive tasks on the ship became a strenuous activity, and prioritizing health over comfort became a common goal. Continual masking incited supply deficits which, in turn, led to service members’ repeated use of worn and dirty masks, a new logistical dilemma of the COVID era. Eventually, it was mandated that cloth and standard blue surgical masks did not offer enough of a barrier to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Everyone on the ship, therefore, was required to wear N-95 masks. The initial mandate came in the middle of a work up; consequently, the ship had to supply all of the masks, leading to increased scarcity of approved masks on board. Any occurrence of a new confirmed COVID case would reignite the gravity of donning the mask. The ship had judicious quarantine procedures in place to keep COVID patients from spreading the virus throughout the spaces, and ensured rigorous contact tracing for all confirmed cases. Beyond the short-term solution of quarantine practices existed the longterm concern of getting COVID positive individuals off of the ship. HSC-26’s MH-60S Knighthawks were the primary asset for answering the call of disembarkation of COVID patients during these crucial work up evolutions. The MH-60S, Rotor Review #155 Winter '22
an extremely versatile airframe manned by crews trained in combat logistics, is perfect for this mission set. Crews were identified and annotated on the flight schedule and air plan for transporting patients from the ships to shore facilities for treatment and prevention of further spread at sea. This process was not immune to growing pains. Initially, the guidance required a downing period for both crews and aircraft involved in the transport of these exposed patients. The crews were prohibited from flying for the remainder of the day and the following day, and the aircraft was to be cleaned and left untouched for 72 hours. During the earliest days of the protocol, the aircrewmen were instructed to quarantine within a designated area of the medical department for two days. While flying, the crews donned N-95 masks, surgical gloves beneath flight gloves, and sanitized flight gear. Upon return from the flight, crews were corralled into decontamination rooms where they left all flight gear to be sanitized before being escorted to the medical showers. In-flight mitigations included the following practices: keeping doors and windows open to facilitate airflow; placing patient(s) in the aft-most row of passenger seats facing the auxiliary tank to maximize distance between patients and crew; and restricting superfluous carry-on equipment thereby limiting contamination of gear.
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