Air Force evacuates government contractors with COVID-19 from Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (SBG) — The U.S. Air Force transported its first set of coronavirus patients using equipment that hasn’t been deployed since the 2014 Ebola outbreak.

A team of Air Force members consisting of aircrew and medical staff was assembled to evacuate three U.S. government contractors who tested positive for COVID-19 from Afghanistan.

The crew used the Transport Isolation System, an infectious disease containment unit designed during the Ebola outbreak to protect crew from the disease while allowing patients to receive medical care.

The trip from Afghanistan to Ramstein Air Base in Germany marked the first time the system had been used in an operation since its design, and the first instance of coronavirus-positive patients were on Air Force aircraft, according to a Department of Defense release.

Air Force crews have been preparing for this kind of operation for several weeks, which allowed the crew to transport three patients nearly 4,000 miles within 24 hours of receiving an order.