US defence coordinator's death marks first military-related COVID-19 fatality

A defence contractor has died after being infected by the novel coronavirus, marking it the first US military-related death due to the virus, the Pentagon said.

The Arlington-based contractor, who worked at the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), passed away on Saturday, the Pentagon said in a statement.

As of Sunday, 67 service members, 15 civilian employees, 26 dependents and 16 contractors of the US military tested positive for the coronavirus, The Hill reported.

The Pentagon has scrambled to contain the rising number of cases in the military earlier this month, suspending almost all nonessential travel for eight weeks for DOD personnel and families, limiting access to the Pentagon and other military installations and canceling or scaling back exercises.

The Pentagon also said on Friday that it is monitoring 2,600 military personnel in Europe for possible exposure to the coronavirus. Of the 72,000 US forces in Europe, at least 35 have tested positive for the virus.

At least 349,000 people have contracted the novel coronavirus and over 15,300 have died, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.