COVID-19 is surging across the country, with the rate of new cases at most major National Nuclear Security Administration host sites eclipsing their week-ago totals, and the agency cumulative racking up more than 100 new cases for the fourth week in a row.
Mixing in 40 recoveries this week, that made for 303 confirmed cases of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus across the agency’s nationwide workforce of contractors and civil servants, a spokesperson from headquarters wrote Friday in an email.
Since the first confirmed case of the disease in the U.S. in January, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has tracked 1,230 confirmed, positive cases among its workforce. The agency does not share other effects of COVID-19 on productivity, such as quarantines at nuclear-weapons sites, or the impact on the nuclear-weapons vendor base.
COVID-19 raged through the nuclear security enterprise this election week, and the only two NNSA host locales that did not record more new cases this week than they did last week were Oak Ridge, Tenn., and Nye County, Nev.: respectively, the home of the Y-12 National Security Complex and the Nevada National Security Site.
NNSA host sites in California, Missouri, New Mexico, South Carolina and Texas all saw a rash of new cases. Most of these places also recorded more new COVID-19-related deaths this week than they did last week. In Texas, which is dead last in testing per 100,000 people among states that host NNSA sites, Potter and Randall counties near the Pantex Plant respectively had over 500 and 800 more new cases this week than last week.
National Laboratories Cases
Following are the reported numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases at NNSA nuclear weapons laboratories, and increases relative to the prior week, as provided Friday by the labs.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory:
Cases: 72 (+6). Livermore is the only lab that does not test its own employees.
Los Alamos National Laboratory:
Cases: 123 (+32)
Internal tests: 8,115 (+524; a lab spokesperson said Friday these on-site tests have resulted in 35 positive results).
Teleworking: Roughly 55% of all employees.
Sandia National Laboratories:
Cases: 155 (+24)
Albuquerque: 141 (+24)
Livermore: 14 (+0)
Internal tests: 3,726 (+217)
Teleworking: Roughly 60% of all employees.
Cases in NNSA Host Regions
Following is Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor’s weekly digest of confirmed COVID-19 cases, including fatal cases, in the host cities, counties and states of NNSA nuclear weapons sites. The figures below are based on cumulative cases recorded since the first confirmed U.S. instance of COVID-19 in January.
Data come from a tracker maintained by Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and from select states, counties, and cities, where noted.
The Monitor tracks weekly changes, using the latest data available at deadline, which is sometimes current as of the Wednesday or Thursday before publication.
Testing figures represent the number of tests performed, not the number of people tested.
Missouri – Kansas City National Security Campus
Kansas City
Total confirmed cases: 16,159
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 1,576
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +897
Fatal cases: 224 (+24 from the prior week, one more new death this week than last).
Missouri, Statewide:
Total cases: 200,042
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 22,335
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +9,838
Fatal cases: 3,117 (+226 from the prior week, same amount of new deaths this week as last week).
Testing rate and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 42,769 tests per 100,000 people (6% more people tested per 100,000 this week than last (no change), 18% more than three weeks ago(↓)). Rank among NNSA host states: 4/7 — no change, compared with last week.
Cumulative tests performed as of this week, and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 2,624,970 (+150,574 from last week (↑); +402,116 in three weeks (↓)). In October, Missouri sharply ramped up testing, accounting for the slow-down in the rate of new tests, compared with three weeks ago.
New Mexico – NNSA Albuquerque, Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Bernalillo County/Albuquerque:
Total confirmed cases: 12,828
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 1,712
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +281
Fatal cases: 225 (+24 from the prior week, 12 more new deaths this week than last).
Los Alamos:
Total confirmed cases: 60
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 12
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +4
Fatal cases: 0 (No change from last week, and no confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the county, to date).
Surrounding Counties, Los Alamos (Rio Arriba, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Taos):
Total confirmed cases: 588/2,273/2,149/305 – 5,315 for the group
Cumulative week-to-week increase for group: 726
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week, for group: -365
Fatal cases for group: 88 (+7 from the prior week, for group; three more new deaths this week than last, for group).
New Mexico, Statewide:
Total cases: 51,110
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 6,206
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +679
Fatal cases: 1,082 (+88 from the prior week, 47 more new deaths this week than last).
Testing rate and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 58,126 tests per 100,000 people (7% more people tested per 100,000 this week than last (↑), 20% more than three weeks ago (↑)). Rank among NNSA host states: 1/7 (highest amount of tests per 100,000) — no change, compared with last week.
Cumulative tests performed as of this week, and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 1,218,805 (+77,619 from last week(↑); +199,776 in three weeks (↑)).
Tennessee – Y-12 National Security Complex
Anderson County:
Total confirmed cases: 1,959
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 146
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: -56
Fatal cases: 18 (+4 from the prior week, four more new deaths this week than last week).
Tennessee, Statewide:
Total cases: 271,771
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 14,891
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: -4,082
Fatal cases: 3,509 (+246 from the prior week, six fewer new deaths this week than last).
Testing rate and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 55,352 tests per 100,000 people (4% more people tested per 100,000 this week than last (↓), 16% more than three weeks ago (↓)). Rank among NNSA host states: 2/7 — no change, compared with last week.
Cumulative tests performed as of this week, and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 3,780,132 (+142,489 from last week (↓); +511,469 in three weeks (↓)).
California – Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (and Sandia’s California campus)
Alameda County (Including Livermore, Calif.):
Total confirmed cases: 24,370
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 734
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +99
Fatal cases: 465 (+2 from the prior week, five fewer new deaths this week than last).
San Jaoquin County (near Alameda County):
Total confirmed cases: 22,556
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 562
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +96
Fatal cases: 494 (+2 from the prior week, two fewer new deaths this week than last).
California, Statewide:
Total cases: 958,223
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 33,857
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +3,493
Fatal cases: 17,872 (+299 from the prior week, eight fewer new deaths this week than last).
Testing rate and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 48,760 tests per 100,000 people (5% more people tested per 100,000 this week than last (no change), 17% more than three weeks ago (no change)). Rank among NNSA host states: 3/7 — no change, compared with last week.
Cumulative tests performed as of this week, and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 18,323,771 (+965,001 from last week (↑); +2,700,148 in three weeks(↑)).
South Carolina – Savannah River Site
Aiken County:
Total confirmed cases: 5,281
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 230
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +43
Fatal cases: 89 (+2 from the prior week, one more new death this week than last).
Savannah River Site:
Total confirmed cases: 639
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 20
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +10
Fatal cases: 1 (no change; not an NNSA employee).
Active cases: 28
South Carolina, Statewide:
Total cases: 181,639
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 7,048
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: -58
Fatal cases: 3,992 (+103 from the prior week, 34 fewer new deaths this week than last week).
Testing rate and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 36,383 tests per 100,000 people (6% more people tested per 100,000 this week than last (↓); 21% more than three weeks ago (↓)). Rank among NNSA host states: 6/7 — -1, compared with last week.
Cumulative tests performed as of this week, and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 1,873,285 (+99,543 from last week (↓); +326,677 in three weeks (↓)).
Texas – Pantex Plant
Potter County:
Total confirmed cases: 9,226
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 1,130
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: 574
Fatal cases: 117 (+17 from the prior week, 15 more new deaths this week than last).
Randall County:
Total confirmed cases: 6,715
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 1,388
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: 823
Fatal cases: 63 (+4 from the prior week, one more new death this week than last week).
Texas, Statewide:
Total cases: 969,490
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 50,769
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +3,501
Fatal cases: 18,907 (+631 from the prior week, 14 more new deaths this week than last).
Testing rate and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 29,258 tests per 100,000 people (6% more people tested per 100,000 this week than last (no change); 19% more than three weeks ago (no change)). Rank among NNSA host states: 7/7 (lowest amount of tests per 100,000) — -1 compared with last week.
Cumulative tests performed as of this week, and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 8,483,728 (+478,616 from last week (↑); +1,371,838 in three weeks (↑)).
Nevada – Nevada National Security Site
Nye County:
Total confirmed cases: 753
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 71
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: -10
Fatal cases: 17 (+1 from the prior week, one more new death this week than last).
Clark County/Las Vegas:
Total confirmed cases: 85,641
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 4,847
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +870
Fatal cases: 1,551 (+43 from the prior week, 23 more new deaths this week than last).
Nevada, Statewide:
Total cases: 105,360
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 6,808
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +1,109
Fatal cases: 1,824 (+59 from the prior week, 30 more new deaths this week than last).
Testing rate and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 42,177 tests per 100,000 people (63% more people tested per 100,000 this week than last (↑); 74% more than three weeks ago (↑)). Rank among NNSA host states: 5/7 +2 compared with last week.
Cumulative tests performed as of this week, and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 1,299,121 (+500,503 from last week (↑); +551,048 in three weeks(↑)).
Nationwide
Total cases: 8,947,980
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 663,313
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +126,595
Fatal cases: 234,949 (+6,272 from the prior week, 654 more new deaths this week than last).
