In particular, hospital capacity is seeing dramatic improvements, Miller said in a Facebook town hall Wednesday afternoon.
“We see all of that coming back down, and coming down fast,” he said.
Miller applauded new data showing case numbers falling in recent weeks from about 2,300 to 160 cases per 100,000 residents. “That’s significant,” he said.
Some local metrics are even starting to trend toward the lower end of HPCON Charlie or the even better “Bravo-plus” range.
“We’re seeing our new cases really come down,” the colonel said.
Wright-Patterson softened its COVID-related health protocols Friday as base leaders saw improved health and hospitalization metrics across the region.
But the base remains under a public health emergency, and that will likely last until mid- to late March, Miller said.
The base noted last Friday that at the Charlie level, facility worker occupancy is still set at less than 25%, and all official travel and military leave requires unit review before approval.
But the change to Charlie does mean physical fitness testing is returning, and base fitness centers are opening under some occupancy limits — the Jarvis and Dodge gyms have 100-person maximum capacity while the Wright Field fitness center has a 200-person capacity.
Meanwhile, base food service sites are offering service under their own limits, and chapels are returning to in-person services.
For weeks, Miller and other Wright-Patt officers have noted that while COVID numbers raged outside the base, they tended to be far lower among those living on base.
“We have been doing such a good job of being a bubble in this COVID storm,” said Major Bryon Manning, of the base’s 88th Medical Group.
About the Author
