For the first time since 2020, no military medical personnel will be deployed on a COVID-19 clinical mission as of March 30, CNN reports.
The last U.S. Defense Department military medical team responding to the public health crisis concludes its clinical mission March 29. The team of about 25 personnel has been supporting University of Utah Hospital's staff and patients since March 5; the hospital is planning a "clap out" for the team.
Military medical teams have been deployed to assist overwhelmed medical facilities across the United States since the start of the pandemic. The first team was deployed to New York City in April 2020.
"I am literally almost indiscernible from any of the other staff at these facilities. I work the exact same shifts," Navy Lt. James Kirlin, a registered nurse who has been deployed to health systems’ front lines and is currently at University of Utah Hospital, told CNN.
"Being part of this team that's remaining in the fight to help our country battle this problem that we've been facing the last few years, for me, it's been a very rewarding experience."