Migration
First coronavirus case confirmed in defense community in Kaiserslautern
Stars and Stripes
March 13, 2020
The entrance to the emergency department at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. A U.S. civilian employee of the hospital has tested positive for coronavirus, officials said Friday. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)
Read more coronavirus coverage from Stars and Stripes.
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – A U.S. civilian employee of the U.S. military’s largest hospital overseas has tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said Friday.
The employee is a technician in the oral and maxillofacial surgery department at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, which serves military and defense personnel and their families and retirees living and working in Europe.
LRMC is contacting patients who may have interacted with the employee, to discuss precautionary steps to ensure their health and safety, hospital officials said in a statement.
The employee was advised to get tested for the virus after experiencing flu-like symptoms and developing a fever, said Gino Mattorano, a spokesman for Regional Health Command Europe.
The employee tested positive on Thursday and is currently in isolation at home.
“The safety of both our staff and patients is our top priority, and ensuring protective measures are in place to reduce the risk of virus spread is equally as important,” U.S. Army Col. Michael Weber, LRMC commander, said in a statement. “The hospital is prepared to both receive and care for our Joint Warfighters and their families who test positive for COVID-19.”
The LRMC employee is the second confirmed case of coronavirus linked to a member of the Defense Department community in Europe, and the first in the Kaiserslautern area. About 50,000 Americans live in the city and outlying villages.
A U.S. sailor stationed at Naval Support Activity Naples tested positive for the virus on March 6, U.S. European Command said Sunday.