Skip to main content

Military Health System

Test of Sitewide Banner

This is a test of the sitewide banner capability. In the case of an emergency, site visitors would be able to visit the news page for addition information.

USU cohort study investigates COVID-19 impacts on DOD personnel

Image of Military health personnel wearing a mask and a face shield holding up a sign that has the number eighteen on it . Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Charles Cambern holds up a numbered sign as patients circle through to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, in Bethesda, Maryland. WRNMMC is one of 10 DOD sites undertaking the EPICC study to better understand COVID-19 disease. (U.S. Navy photo by Ricardo Reyes)

The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences’ Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program is leading a multi-year study to identify risk factors for COVID-19 in the military population, understand the symptoms and disease course, and investigate clinical outcomes.

Epidemiology, Immunology, and Clinical Characteristics of Emerging Infectious Diseases with Pandemic Potential – or EPICC – study hopes to inform the Military Health System on ways to improve the patient care and treatment, infection, and disease prevention of those with COVID-19. USU is working in partnership with a network of military commands, treatment facilities, and laboratories across the country for EPICC.

Findings from the study “will support further understanding of the impact of SARS-COV-2 infection on active-duty readiness, acute and chronic clinical outcomes, the effectiveness of new treatments and vaccines, and address questions related to the emergence of new variants and their clinical impact,” said Dr. Brian Agan, deputy science director of IDCRP and principal investigator of the study.

The study is also evaluating how long the immune response to the COVID-19 vaccines lasts, breakthrough infections – which happen when a vaccinated individual becomes sick from the same illness the vaccination is designed to prevent – and how they behave over time, and estimating vaccine effectiveness, said Agan, who is also an employee of the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc.

Department of Defense service members and MHS beneficiaries of any age with COVID-19-like illness who are admitted to the hospital or treated as outpatients at an EPICC site can join. Likewise, those 18 years or older who have been tested for COVID-19, whether they tested positive or negative, can participate in the online portion of the study, which includes self-collected blood specimens for selected participants.

The protocol was recently updated to also enroll COVID-19 vaccine recipients and will initiate recruitment upon approval, said Navy Capt. (Dr.) Timothy Burgess, program director of IDCRP, who oversees the study. Eligible beneficiaries who are interested in participating in EPICC can submit an online screening form to join.

“In addition, asymptomatic individuals with a high risk of exposure are also eligible for enrollment in EPICC, which includes health care workers and close contacts of cases,” said Burgess. “Particularly, health care workers who have received a COVID-19 vaccination will be an important population for studies to examine vaccine effectiveness and outcomes.”

Data from inpatient, outpatient, and online participants, including their clinical characteristics, comorbidities, the clinical course of their illness, treatment, immunology, and outcomes, is being collected for the study.

“Questionnaires are provided to enrollees to collect information on demographics, symptoms at initial presentation and chronic or persisting symptoms during follow-up, exposure history, and lifestyle factors,” said Burgess. “Clinical and research specimens collected from enrollees are examined using molecular, serological, and other immune assays in collaboration USU and non-USU partner laboratories.”

Initiated in March 2020, EPICC is expected to continue enrolling participants at least through March 2022, or for as long as needed to fill in the knowledge gaps related to this disease, explained Agan.

“Once enrolled, participants are actively followed for one year to fully capture specimens and data including chronic outcomes and sequelae and will be followed for up to four additional years through electronic medical record review,” Agan said.

EPICC is being conducted at 10 military medical treatment facilities throughout the United States:

  • Brooke Army Medical Center in Fort Sam Houston, Texas
  • Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center in Fort Hood, Texas
  • Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in Fort Belvoir, Virginia
  • Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington
  • Naval Medical Center Portsmouth in Portsmouth, Virginia
  • Naval Medical Center San Diego in San Diego, California
  • Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii
  • William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, Texas
  • Womack Army Medical Center in Fort Bragg, North Carolina
  • Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland

Military health personnel wearing a face mask and shield speaking to a man who is wearing a face mask
Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Michael A. Torrent conducts a pre-screening questionnaire prior to administering the COVID-19 vaccine as part of Operation Warp Speed at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. (U.S. Navy photo by Ricardo Reyes)

By the first week of February, more than 1,600 active-duty service members and MHS beneficiaries had enrolled in EPICC, the majority of whom are being treated as outpatients, said Agan. Approximately half of the subjects with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 diagnoses included in EPICC are active-duty service members.

Some interesting observations the researchers found thus far are that the characteristics of hospitalized COVID-19 patients compared to those treated as outpatients has shown a higher proportion of comorbidities, with hypertension, diabetes, and obesity being most prevalent, said Agan. In fact, their findings have begun to identify why obesity is a risk factor for more severe disease.

They were also able to garner valuable insight into the risk of reinfection from a military health care worker enrolled in the study who was reinfected with a symptomatic case of COVID-19. 

“A median time to recovery has been identified as 14 days, with nine lost duty days among active-duty service members,” said Agan. “These findings not only support operational planning, but also provide an important baseline to evaluate the effectiveness of vaccines as uptake widens across the DOD.”

They also found that the antibody levels that cause immunity remain in individuals for more than six months post-infection and that there were no “seroreversions” after six months post-infection. Seroreversion is the loss of serologic reactivity, or the presence of a particular antigen in the blood, whether spontaneous or in response to therapy. 

“With ongoing concerns about the magnitude and duration of immunity post-infection, our findings were both surprising and a relief,” said Burgess.

The researchers hope the information on the effectiveness and safety of the vaccines will alleviate concerns and encourage individuals to be vaccinated. And as the vaccine rollout expands to more recipients, the study will benefit from recruiting participants among the growing population of vaccinated recipients.

“This will enhance our ability to evaluate vaccine effectiveness in the population and if other reports showing high levels of protection are confirmed, our work may help boost confidence among those who are less certain,” said Burgess. “We are excited about the ability of the EPICC study to answer key questions for patients, health care providers, and leadership to guide decisions as we steer through the coming months of this unprecedented and historic pandemic.

You also may be interested in...

Navy Hospital Corpsman steps into the breach in the war on COVID-19

Article Around MHS
1/18/2022
Hospitalman Hector Conde standing in front of a immunization office's refrigeration

First responders and those fighting on the medical battleground have earned well-deserved recognition for their efforts.

This is my Why

Article Around MHS
12/30/2021
Air Force Senior Airman Marcus Bullock poses for a photo after receiving his COVID-19 vaccination

Air Force Senior Airman Marcus Bullock stated his reason for getting the vaccine was to help his mother and son be able to have a play date again.

So others may breathe - Navy Medicine Respiratory Therapist cares for COVID casualties

Article Around MHS
12/13/2021
Military Health personnel posing for a picture

Navy Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Tessa Hazard, a respiratory therapist, recently deployed to Alabama as a member of a COVID-19 response team.

Army Public Health Center provides update on Long COVID risks

Article Around MHS
12/1/2021
COVID19 Symptoms

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Post-COVID conditions are a wide range of new, returning, or ongoing health problems people can experience four or more weeks after first being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19.

JTF Coyote begins pediatric COVID-19 clinics as adult booster vaccination numbers increase

Article Around MHS
11/23/2021
Military health personnel giving the COVID-19 vaccine

The Vermont National Guard now supports the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic with vaccinations for youth in the 5 to 11 age group and booster clinics for the general adult population.

USECAF receives insight into COVID19 vaccinations at Reserve wing

Article Around MHS
10/8/2021
Under Secretary of the Air Force Gina Ortiz Jones visits with 433rd Airlift Wing members at Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, Oct. 2, 2021.

Under Secretary of the Air Force Gina Ortiz Jones visited the 433rd Airlift Wing here to meet with Reserve Citizen Airmen leaders on mandatory COVID-19 vaccination efforts, Oct. 2, 2021.

Compassionate Caring with COVID Vax Commitment

Article Around MHS
10/6/2021
A  female doctor poses for a photo.

When pregnant patients have an appointment with Lt. Cmdr. Megan Northup at Naval Hospital Bremerton, they get more than a qualified and caring OB/GYN physician.

Health Promotion duo optimizes health on Incirlik Air Base

Article Around MHS
9/30/2021
Air Force Capt. Sydney Sloan, 39th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron health promotion element chief (right), and Air Force Senior Airman Gloriann Manapsal, 39th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron health promotion technician (left), promote making healthy choices at the Sultan’s Inn Dining Facility on Incirlik Air Base, Turkey.

The 39th Operation Medical Readiness Squadron health promotion team provides and integrates evidence-based programs to optimize the health and readiness, even during these unprecedented times.

Retired colonel leads Fort Irwin COVID response mission

Article Around MHS
9/28/2021
Army Col. Richard Hopkins, the COVID-19 response coordinator with Weed Army Community Hospital, collects paperwork from a Soldier who received the COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination event.

Retired Army Col. Richard Hopkins volunteered under the Army’s COVID-19 Retiree Recall Program to return to service as the COVID-19 response coordinator for Weed Army Community Hospital and Fort Irwin, California.

ARNORTH military support to FEMA begins in Tennessee, continues in five states

Article Around MHS
9/24/2021
Prepared COVID-19 vaccine shots wait to be administered to an Airman. Members of the 134th Air Refueling Wing were eligible to receive their COVID-19 vaccines during Unit Training Assembly here May 2nd, 2021.

At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, approximately 20 military medical personnel deployed to Tennessee to support civilian healthcare workers treating COVID-19 patients in local hospitals.

COVID-19 can lead to long-term health concerns

Article Around MHS
9/23/2021
Debra Lamb, a 30-year civil service veteran at Ft. Carson, contracted the COVID-19 virus late in 2020 and experienced a harrowing ordeal before partially recovering months later.

Debra Lamb, a 30-year civil service veteran at Ft. Carson, contracted the COVID-19 virus late in 2020 and experienced a harrowing ordeal before partially recovering months later.

6th Medical Group Delivers Mandatory Vaccines

Article Around MHS
9/21/2021
An Airman from the 6th Medical Group prepares a COVID-19 vaccine for distribution at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.

Airmen from the 6th Medical Group began redistributing doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, on Sept. 9, 2021. This comes after the Secretary of Defense issued a memorandum on Aug. 23, 2021, mandating all active duty personnel to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

After the ventilator COVID survivor advocates for vaccine

Article Around MHS
9/15/2021
Tim Harris is sedated while on a ventilator

Tim Harris, a mobilization and planning specialist, U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence, is sedated while on a ventilator at Brooke Army Medical Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, June 27, 2020.

Army Medicine Europe Provides Additional COVID Vaccinations for Immune Compromised

Article Around MHS
9/13/2021
Franz Dietrich, a German local national assigned to Training Support Activity Europe, receives a COVID-19 vaccination at the 7th Army Training Command's (7ATC) Rose Barracks, Vilseck, Germany, May 4, 2021. The U.S. Army Health Clinics at Grafenwoehr and Vilseck conducted a "One Community" COVID-19 vaccine drive May 3-7 to provide thousands of appointments to the 7ATC community of Soldiers, spouses, Department of the Army civilians, veterans and local nationals employed by the U.S. Army. (U.S. Army photo by Markus Rauchenberger)

Army medical treatment facilities in Europe are now offering an additional dose of COVID vaccine for immune compromised beneficiaries.

Page 2 of 2 , showing items 16 - 29
First < 1 2 > Last 
Refine your search
Last Updated: May 04, 2023
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery