8 July
The US Navy has cancelled its fall 2020 Physical Fitness Assessment (PFA) to help mitigate the spread of Covid-19 until further notice. The two components of the PFA Cycle 2, the official Body Composition Assessment and Physical Readiness Test, have been suspended. The service has also cancelled organised and group physical training at the command level. PFA is the second consecutive fitness cycle to be postponed because of the virus. The Physical Readiness Information Management System (PRIMS) will automatically update PFA entry for soldiers as ‘excused’. Fitness assessments are expected to resume in 2021.
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The US Northern Command has announced that dozens of medical personnel have been deployed to San Antonio in Texas as Covid-19 cases rise. The deployment is in response to rea quest from the Department of Defense and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Around 50 medical and support personnel from the 627th Hospital Center in Fort Carson, Colorado will “provide medical assistance by embedding in medical care facilities” in the area. According to the command, the medical personnel include emergency room and critical care nurses, respiratory specialists and support personnel.
The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), along with SEMI Nano-Bio Materials Consortium (NBMC), will conduct a virtual workshop series this August for the first time. This year’s annual workshop will focus on digital health. The sessions will cover aspects such as biomarker sensing, en-route care and point-of-care diagnostics for telemedicine, advancements in wearable monitors. It will also include a presentation from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
