The National Nuclear Security Administration had its biggest week-to-week jump in COVID-19 cases of the pandemic this week, when the agency tracked 260 more cases than last week, including the first fatal case at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Mixing in 80 recoveries left the semi autonomous nuclear weapons steward with 179 new, confirmed, active cases across its network of labs, plants and sites, a spokesperson from headquarters wrote in an email Friday.
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) publishes only confirmed positive cases of the viral disease caused by the novel coronavirus, not the overall effect on agency and vendor productivity.
Overall, the NNSA has recorded 1,698 confirmed positive cases, of which four were fatal. Of the NNSA employees who died from COVID-19, two worked at the Nevada National Security Site, one at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn., and the latest at Los Alamos.
In what’s become the norm for November, most NNSA host locales again recorded more new confirmed cases of COVID-19 this week than they did the week before — case counts are not only increasing, but increasing by a bigger number than they did the week before.
New Mexico has it especially bad. The state performs a lot of tests, relative to its size, but cases there have spiked this autumn, and the curve in the Land of Enchantment continued to bend upward this week. The Los Alamos National Laboratory saw the trend coming about two weeks ago and started sending more people home.
In Anderson County, Tenn., home of the Y-12 National Security Complex, this week’s increase in new confirmed cases alone represented about as many sick people as the entire county reported through the first week of June. At deadline Friday, Tennessee was second only to New Mexico in the number of tests it performs relative to its population.
At the state level, almost every NNSA host state reported several thousand more new cases this week than they reported last week — South Carolina had about 1,900 more new cases this week than last.
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: 80 (+6). Livermore is the only lab that does not test its own employees.
Los Alamos National Laboratory:
Cases: 246 (+81; 111 people who got sick recovered, while one died).
Internal tests: 9,489 (+873; a lab spokesperson said Friday these on-site tests have resulted in 85 positive results).
Teleworking: Roughly 70% of all employees. Los Alamos started scaling back on-site operations about two weeks ago, when a nationwide surge causes cases in New Mexico to soar.
Sandia National Laboratories:
Cases: 249 (+58)
Albuquerque: 232 (+55)
Livermore: 17 (+3)
Internal tests: 4,180 (+186)
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: 20,337
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 2,269
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +360
Fatal cases: 250 (+9 from the prior week, eight fewer new deaths this week than last).
Missouri, Statewide:
Total cases: 263,268
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 33,556
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +3,886
Fatal cases: 3,520 (+169 from the prior week, 65 fewer new deaths this week than last week).
Testing rate and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 46,683 tests per 100,000 people (5% more people tested per 100,000 this week than last (↑), 16% more than three weeks ago(cho change)). Rank among NNSA host states: 5/7 — -1, compared with last week.
Cumulative tests performed as of this week, and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 2,865,173 (+138,237 from last week (↑); +390,777 in three weeks (↑)).
New Mexico – NNSA Albuquerque, Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Bernalillo County/Albuquerque:
Total confirmed cases: 19,541
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 3,993
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +1,273
Fatal cases: 277 (+28 from the prior week, four fewer new deaths this week than last week).
Los Alamos:
Total confirmed cases: 103
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 21
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: -1
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: 967/3,606/3,808/589 – 8,970 for the group
Cumulative week-to-week increase for group: 2,221
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week, for group: +787
Fatal cases for group: 116 (+11 from the prior week, for group; two fewer new deaths this week than last, for group).
New Mexico, Statewide:
Total cases: 74,116
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 13,340
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +3,674
Fatal cases: 1,302 (+126 from the prior week, 32 more new deaths this week than last).
Testing rate and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 67,759 tests per 100,000 people (8% more people tested per 100,000 this week than last (no change), 25% 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 ↓): 1,420,797 (+103,549 from last week(↑); +279,611 in three weeks (↑)).
Tennessee – Y-12 National Security Complex
Anderson County:
Total confirmed cases: 2,535
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 308
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +40
Fatal cases: 25 (+6 from the prior week, five more new deaths this week than last week).
Tennessee, Statewide:
Total cases: 328,088
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 31,363
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +6,409
Fatal cases: 4,128 (+340 from the prior week, 61 more new deaths this week than last).
Testing rate and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 61,773 tests per 100,000 people (6% more people tested per 100,000 this week than last (no change), 16% more than three weeks ago (no change)). 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 ↓): 4,218,632 (+222,654 from last week (↑); +580,989 in three weeks (↑)).
California – Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (and Sandia’s California campus)
Alameda County (Including Livermore, Calif.):
Total confirmed cases: 26,927
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 1,527
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +497
Fatal cases: 495 (+9 from the prior week, 12 fewer new deaths this week than last).
San Jaoquin County (near Alameda County):
Total confirmed cases: 24,450
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 1,226
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +558
Fatal cases: 505 (+5 from the prior week, one fewer new death this week than last).
California, Statewide:
Total cases: 1,079,879
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 73,684
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +25,712
Fatal cases: 18,562 (+421 from the prior week, 152 more new deaths this week than last).
Testing rate and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 54,546 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: 3/7 — no change, compared with last week.
Cumulative tests performed as of this week, and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 21,552,528 (+1,210,456 from last week (↑); +3,228,757 in three weeks(↑)).
South Carolina – Savannah River Site
Aiken County:
Total confirmed cases: 5,875
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 341
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +88
Fatal cases: 95 (+4 from the prior week, two more new cases this week than last week).
Savannah River Site:
Total confirmed cases: X
Cumulative week-to-week increase: X
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +X
Fatal cases: 1 (no change; not an NNSA employee).
Active cases: X
South Carolina, Statewide:
Total cases: 201,160
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 10,670
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +1,819
Fatal cases: 4,201 (+117 from the prior week, 25 more new deaths this week than last week).
Testing rate and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 41,993 tests per 100,000 people (7% more people tested per 100,000 this week than last (↓); 22% more than three weeks ago (↓)). Rank among NNSA host states: 6/7 — no change, compared with last week.
Cumulative tests performed as of this week, and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 2,162,127 (+141,182 from last week (↓); +388,385 in three weeks (↑)).
Texas – Pantex Plant
Potter County:
Total confirmed cases: 11,286
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 1,018
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: -24
Fatal cases: 148 (+19 from the prior week, seven more new deaths this week than last).
Randall County:
Total confirmed cases: 9,040
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 1,158
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: -9
Fatal cases: 93 (+16 from the prior week, two more new deaths this week than last week).
Texas, Statewide:
Total cases: 1,105,009
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 80,936
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +26,353
Fatal cases: 20,565 (+1,091 from the prior week, 524 fewer new deaths this week than last).
Testing rate and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 33,303 tests per 100,000 people (7% more people tested per 100,000 this week than last (↑); 21% more than three weeks ago (↑)). Rank among NNSA host states: 7/7 (lowest 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 ↓): 9,656,497 (+623,280 from last week (↑); +1,651,385 in three weeks (↑)).
Nevada – Nevada National Security Site
Nye County:
Total confirmed cases: 1,088
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 147
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: -41
Fatal cases: 22 (+4 from the prior week, three more new deaths this week than last week).
Clark County/Las Vegas:
Total confirmed cases: 100,552
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 8,693
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +2,475
Fatal cases: 1,647 (+54 from the prior week, 12 more new deaths this week than last).
Nevada, Statewide:
Total cases: 127,876
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 12,996
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +3,476
Fatal cases: 1,953 (+73 from the prior week, 17 more new deaths this week than last).
Testing rate and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 47,782 tests per 100,000 people (7% more people tested per 100,000 this week than last (↑); 84% more than three weeks ago (↑)). Rank among NNSA host states: 5/7 +2 compared with last week. Two weeks ago, Nevada sharply increased the number of tests performed in the state, accounting for the sharp increase in new tests performed this week relative to three weeks ago.
Cumulative tests performed as of this week, and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 1,471,764 (+96,095 from last week (↑); +673,146 in three weeks(↑)).
Nationwide
Total cases: 11,720,514
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 1,162,963
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +216,705
Fatal cases: 252,564 (+10,128 from the prior week, 2,641 more new deaths this week than last).
Cumulative tests performed as of this week, and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 173,719,264 (+15,652,689 from last week (↑). +31,044,468 in three weeks).
