{"id":32961,"date":"2020-04-09T17:58:12","date_gmt":"2020-04-09T17:58:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/04\/09\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T06:50:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T06:50:25","slug":"va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2020\/04\/09\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\/","title":{"rendered":"VA COVID-19 update: over 3,500 cases, 174 patient deaths as officials downplay equipment shortage concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/03\/27\/va-leaders-warn-of-workforce-shortages-lengthy-pandemic-as-coronavirus-cases-rise\/\" target=_blank>Veterans Affairs leaders<\/a> reported the first death of a VA patient from coronavirus in mid-March, the number of positive cases \u2014 and fatalities \u2014 in the department\u2019s health system has risen dramatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As of April 9, there have been 174 patients who have died from the illness. That number is up almost 100 from one week ago. On March 30, the total was less than 20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">VA officials have offered only partial details of the deaths, but until this weekend all of the fatalities had been among patients aged 50 or older. Officials from the New Orleans VA Medical Center, one of the hardest hit in the country by the illness, announced that a patient in his or her 40s died there on Sunday. No other information was given.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/04\/03\/va-staffers-sound-alarm-over-shortages-in-staffing-equipment\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/March23-Oakland.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">VA staffers sound alarm over shortages in staffing, equipment<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">\u201cI\u2019m afraid for my co-workers and I\u2019m afraid for my family, said one VA nurse.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Across all VA sites, 3,504 patients in VA care have tested positive for the fast-spreading virus. That\u2019s about 12 percent of all of the cases tested by the department, and is more than double what it was on April 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition, at least 1,100 VA health care employees had tested positive for the virus as of April 8. Department officials on Wednesday said seven deaths have occurred among staffers in at least five sites: two in Reno, Nev., and one each at VA hospitals in Ann Arbor, Mich., Detroit, Indianapolis and Houston. The location of the seventh death wasn\u2019t immediately known.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.publichealth.va.gov\/n-coronavirus\/\" target=_blank>Based on information released by department health officials<\/a>, here are the VA medical centers currently dealing with coronavirus cases:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/u\/0\/embed?mid=1BAzIPbL09es1KWag1P0Mqt9HXR0c7b88\" width=\"750\" height=\"480\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The increases in sick patients come amid growing news reports detailing shortages in staffing and protective equipment at sites throughout the veterans health system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/veterans-affairs-hospitals-facing-serious-shortage-of-protective-gear-internal-memos-show-11586384293\" target=\"_blank\">The Wall Street Journal <\/a>reported on Thursday that internal VA memos showed \u201cserious\u201d shortages of protective gear even as department officials publicly downplayed any concerns. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeednews.com\/article\/anthonycormier\/coronavirus-masks-rationed-at-veterans-hospital\" target=\"_blank\">A separate report by Buzzfeed<\/a> this week showed individual VA hospitals beginning to ration supplies even as leaders insisted they were well stocked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a statement, department leaders have promised \u201can aggressive public health response to protect and care for veterans, their families, health care providers, and staff in the face of this emerging health risk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/2020\/04\/08\/seven-va-health-care-workers-dead-from-coronavirus-as-cases-mount\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6147982377_93094a855c_o.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Seven VA health care workers dead from coronavirus as cases mount<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">More than 1,100 VA medical workers have tested positive for the illness.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That includes work with the CDC and the possibility of accepting some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/03\/29\/va-to-accept-non-veterans-patients-in-new-york-to-help-with-coronavirus-response\/\" target=_blank>non-veteran patients at VA medical centers<\/a> to provide relief to overtaxed local health care systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier this week, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie announced during a White House briefing that he would open about 1,500 beds nationwide to communities in need of extra resources, despite the increasing coronavirus numbers within the VA health system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">VA officials have said that opening those areas to non-veteran patients will not hurt delivery of care to any veterans who need it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Officials also said any veteran with symptoms such as fever, cough or shortness of breath should contact their local VA facility before visiting to determine their next steps.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here is the latest map of where VA coronavirus cases and deaths are located across America.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":62652,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":21,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[64,101,24,88,16,26,65,21],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3328],"class_list":["post-32961","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coronavirus","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-left-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"LZ3VXEGLYZAO3FIZQCTSK33CZE","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/04\/09\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>VA COVID-19 update: over 3,500 cases, 174 patient deaths as officials downplay equipment shortage concerns - Air Force TImes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Here is the latest map of where VA coronavirus cases and deaths are located across America.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"VA COVID-19 update: over 3,500 cases, 174 patient deaths as officials downplay equipment shortage concerns\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Here is the latest map of where VA coronavirus cases and deaths are located across America.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2020\/04\/09\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Air Force TImes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-04-09T17:58:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T06:50:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Leo Shane III\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Leo Shane III\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/veterans\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/09\\\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/veterans\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/09\\\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"VA COVID-19 update: over 3,500 cases, 174 patient deaths as officials downplay equipment shortage concerns\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2020-04-09T17:58:12+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T06:50:25+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/veterans\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/09\\\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 474,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/veterans\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/09\\\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP20083466546109.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Coronavirus | COVID-19 Updates\",\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Left Column\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Pentagon &amp; Congress\",\n\t                \"Veterans\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/veterans\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/09\\\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/veterans\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/09\\\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/veterans\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/09\\\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"VA COVID-19 update: over 3,500 cases, 174 patient deaths as officials downplay equipment shortage concerns - Air Force TImes\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/veterans\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/09\\\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/veterans\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/09\\\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP20083466546109.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2020-04-09T17:58:12+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T06:50:25+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Here is the latest map of where VA coronavirus cases and deaths are located across America.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/veterans\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/09\\\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/veterans\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/09\\\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/veterans\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/09\\\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP20083466546109.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP20083466546109.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/veterans\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/09\\\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Veterans\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/veterans\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"veterans\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"VA COVID-19 update: over 3,500 cases, 174 patient deaths as officials downplay equipment shortage concerns\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Air Force TImes\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Airmen | Air Force Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Air Force TImes\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/air-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/air-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Air Force TImes\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"VA COVID-19 update: over 3,500 cases, 174 patient deaths as officials downplay equipment shortage concerns - Air Force TImes","description":"Here is the latest map of where VA coronavirus cases and deaths are located across America.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"VA COVID-19 update: over 3,500 cases, 174 patient deaths as officials downplay equipment shortage concerns","og_description":"Here is the latest map of where VA coronavirus cases and deaths are located across America.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2020\/04\/09\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\/","og_site_name":"Air Force TImes","article_published_time":"2020-04-09T17:58:12+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T06:50:25+00:00","author":"Leo Shane III","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Leo Shane III","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2020\/04\/09\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2020\/04\/09\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"VA COVID-19 update: over 3,500 cases, 174 patient deaths as officials downplay equipment shortage concerns","datePublished":"2020-04-09T17:58:12+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T06:50:25+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2020\/04\/09\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\/"},"wordCount":474,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2020\/04\/09\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20083466546109.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Coronavirus | COVID-19 Updates","Daily News Roundup","Home","Left Column","News","Newsletters","Pentagon &amp; Congress","Veterans"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2020\/04\/09\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2020\/04\/09\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2020\/04\/09\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\/","name":"VA COVID-19 update: over 3,500 cases, 174 patient deaths as officials downplay equipment shortage concerns - Air Force TImes","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2020\/04\/09\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2020\/04\/09\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20083466546109.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2020-04-09T17:58:12+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T06:50:25+00:00","description":"Here is the latest map of where VA coronavirus cases and deaths are located across America.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2020\/04\/09\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2020\/04\/09\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2020\/04\/09\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20083466546109.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20083466546109.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2020\/04\/09\/va-covid-19-update-over-3500-cases-174-patient-deaths-as-officials-downplay-equipment-shortage-concerns\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Veterans","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/","ad_zone":"veterans"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"VA COVID-19 update: over 3,500 cases, 174 patient deaths as officials downplay equipment shortage concerns"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/","name":"Air Force TImes","description":"Independent News For Airmen | Air Force Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#organization","name":"Air Force TImes","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/air-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/air-logo-white.png","caption":"Air Force TImes"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Air Force TImes","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20083466546109.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32961","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32961"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32961\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93473,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32961\/revisions\/93473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32961"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=32961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}