The Pentagon on Tuesday confirmed the first COVID-19 related death of an active-duty soldier assigned to U.S. Army Europe and Africa.
Staff Sgt. Setariki Korovakaturaga, 43, died while last week en route to a hospital in Germany after testing positive and experiencing heightened symptoms during a period of quarantine.
According to Stars and Stripes, which first reported the death last week, the soldier had been having trouble breathing and collapsed in the passenger seat while his wife rushed him to the hospital.
“We were shocked and deeply saddened by the sudden and tragic loss of Staff Sergeant Setariki Korovakaturaga last week. He was a tremendous Soldier and teammate in our unit,” said Lt. Col. Jason Kendzierski, 44th Expeditionary Signal Battalion commander, in a statement.
The Pentagon has reported 14 coronavirus-related deaths among uniformed soldiers out of more than 93,000 cases.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and children,” Lt. Col. Kendzierski said. “The outpouring of support from the community has been heartwarming and is indicative of how much he will be missed throughout the formation and community.”
• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.
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