The National Nuclear Security Administration picked up nearly 40 new confirmed COVID-19 cases this week, but recoveries well outstripped new infections, leaving the nuclear-weapon steward with six fewer active cases, at deadline Friday.
The semi-autonomous Department of Energy agency was tracking 87 active cases among its federal and contractor workforce Friday, making for a total of 723 since the confirmed beginning of the U.S. outbreak, a spokesperson said in an email. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has had two fatal cases.
The NNSA does not disclose the overall effect of COVID-19 on its productivity, though the agency typically requires two-week quarantines for anybody who might have been exposed to someone in the workplace who had a confirmed, positive case. Such quarantines can far outnumber positive cases.
Nationally this week, new cases dipped after a spike the week before. Early in the morning on Friday, President Donald Trump announced that he and first lady Melania Trump had both tested positive for COVID-19. The U.S. commander in chief, 74, who has sole and virtually unlimited authority to launch the country’s nuclear weapons, was in quarantine, at deadline. The White House physician said Friday that Trump was expected to perform his duties without interruption during quarantine and recovery.
Meanwhile, around the NNSA complex, the counties near the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, where the agency performs major and minor nuclear weapons maintenance and modernization, were struck with a sudden case-spike this week.
Combined, Potter and Randall counties near Amarillo confirmed 1,200 more new cases of COVID-19 this week than last week. Nearly all were in Potter.
Local health officials said the mortality rate for people hospitalized for COVID-19 in the Texas panhandle counties was about 10%, according to local Amarillo-area NBC television affiliate, KAMR.
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 reported Friday by the labs.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory:
Cases: 58 (+0). Livermore is the only lab that does not test its own employees.
Los Alamos National Laboratory:
Cases: 62 (+3)
Internal tests: 6,036 (+415. Of these tests, only six were positive, a lab spokesperson said Friday)
Teleworking: Roughly 55% of all employees.
Sandia National Laboratories:
Cases: 76 (+7)
Albuquerque: 65 (+7)
Livermore: 11 (+0)
Internal tests: 2,828 (+257)
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 and counties 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: 11,276
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 367
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: -271
Fatal cases: 125 (-18 from the prior week, two more new deaths this week than last).
Missouri, Statewide:
Total cases: 126,906
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 7,345
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: -2,489
Fatal cases: 2,074 (+123 from the prior week, 40 fewer new deaths this week than last).
Testing Rate: 21,432 tests per 100,000 people (4% 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).
Cumulative tests performed as of this week, and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 1,315,418 (+55,887 from last week (↓); +231,494 in three weeks (↓)).
New Mexico – NNSA Albuquerque, Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Bernalillo County/Albuquerque:
Total confirmed cases: 6,660
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 333
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +150
Fatal cases: 178 (+4 from the prior week, one fewer new death this week than last).
Los Alamos:
Total confirmed cases: 33
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 1
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: 0
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: 401/1,380/1,032/401 – 2,961 for the group
Cumulative week-to-week increase for group: 134
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week, for group: +57
Fatal cases for group: 67 (+3 from the prior week, for group; one more new death this week than last, for group).
New Mexico, Statewide:
Total cases: 29,661
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 1,437
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +412
Fatal cases: 882 (+23 from the prior week, same amount of new deaths this week than last).
Testing rate (tests per 100,000 people): Testing Rate: 43,923. Rank among NNSA host states: 1/7 (highest amount of tests per 100,000).
Cumulative tests performed as of this week, and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 921,009 (+42,603 from last week(↑); +117,908 in three weeks (↑)).
Tennessee – Y-12 National Security Complex
Anderson County:
Total confirmed cases: 1,243
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 90
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +9
Fatal cases: 13 (+1 from the prior week, same amount of new deaths this week as last week).
Tennessee, Statewide:
Total cases: 197,432
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 9,742
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +192
Fatal cases: 2,501 (+189 from the prior week, 41 fewer new deaths this week than last).
Testing rate (tests per 100,000 people): 42,504. Rank among NNSA host states: 2/7.
Cumulative tests performed as of this week, and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 2,902,732 (+32,541 from last week (↓); +509,692 in three weeks (↓)).
California – Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (including Sandia’s California campus)
Alameda County (Including Livermore, Calif.):
Total confirmed cases: 21,458
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 507
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: -282
Fatal cases: 420 (+23 from the prior week, nine fewer new deaths this week than last).
San Jaoquin County (near Alameda County):
Total confirmed cases: 20,457
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 331
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: -94
Fatal cases: 466 (+29 from the prior week, one fewer new death this week than last).
California, Statewide:
Total cases: 822,775
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 22,431
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: -2,163
Fatal cases: 15,992 (+581 from the prior week, 13 fewer new deaths this week than last).
Testing rate (tests per 100,000 people): 42,504. Rank among NNSA host states: 3/7.
Cumulative tests performed as of this week, and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 14,771,851 (+818,994 from last week (↓); +2,381,860 in three weeks(↑)).
South Carolina – Savannah River Site
Aiken County:
Total confirmed cases: 4,290
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 237
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: -1,239
Fatal cases: 82 (+2 from the prior week, same amount of new deaths this week as last).
Savannah River Site:
Total confirmed cases: 528
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 17
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +1
Fatal cases: 1 (no change).
Active cases: 37.
South Carolina, Statewide:
Total cases: 148,323
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 5,616
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: -1,645
Fatal cases: 3,400 (+121 from the prior week,same amount of new deaths this week as last).
Testing rate and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 25,568 tests per 100,000 people (9% more people tested per 100,000 this week than last (↓); 28% more than three weeks ago (↑)). Rank among NNSA host states: 4/7.
Cumulative tests performed as of this week, and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 1,316,454 (+109,348 from last week (↓); +283,995 in three weeks (↑)).
Texas – Pantex Plant
Potter County:
Total confirmed cases: 6,072
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 1,327
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +1,078
Fatal cases: 71 (+8 from the prior week, five more new deaths this week than last).
Randall County:
Total confirmed cases: 3,135
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 341
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +115
Fatal cases: 42 (+2 from the prior week, two fewer new deaths this week than last).
Texas, Statewide:
Total cases: 776,736
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 29,370
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: -16,583
Fatal cases: 16,130 (+620 from the prior week, 59 fewer new deaths this week than last).
Testing rate and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 21,666 tests per 100,000 people (7% more people tested per 100,000 this week than last (↓); 16% more than three weeks ago (↑)).
Cumulative tests performed as of this week, and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 6,282,329 (+421,496 from last week (↓); +877,072 in three weeks (↑)).
Nevada – Nevada National Security Site
Nye County:
Total confirmed cases: 515
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 15
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +6
Fatal cases: 15 (+0 from the prior week, one fewer new death this week than last).
Clark County/Las Vegas:
Total confirmed cases: 67,499
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 2,324
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +450
Fatal cases: 1,394 (+34 from the prior week, 17 fewer new deaths this week than last).
Nevada, Statewide:
Total cases: 80,410
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 3,213
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +611
Fatal cases: 1,603 (+39 from the prior week, 19 fewer new deaths this week than last).
Testing rate and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 22,777 tests per 100,000 people (4% more people tested per 100,000 this week than last (same rate of growth as last week); 12% more than three weeks ago (same rate of growth as last week)).
Cumulative tests performed as of this week, and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 701,557 (+26,069 from last week (↑); +74,238 in three weeks(↑)).
Nationwide
Total cases: 7,279,065
Cumulative week-to-week increase: 296,660
Growth (+), or decline (-), in new confirmed cases, compared with prior week: +33,973
Fatal cases: 207,816 (+4,930 from the prior week, 10 fewer new deaths this week than last).
Cumulative tests performed as of this week and trend versus last week (↑ or ↓): 104,845,628 (+6,364,602 from last week (↓); +19,664,550 in three weeks(↑)).
