210115-N-DQ752-1006 NORTH ARABIAN SEA (Jan. 15, 2021) Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Ian Teves inserts an IV into a patient during a medical training team drill in the hangar bay of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Nimitz, the flagship of Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the Mediterranean and Pacific through the Western Indian Ocean and three critical chokepoints to the free flow of global commerce. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Cheyenne Geletka/Released)

210112-N-LW757-1169 SAN DIEGO (Jan. 12, 2020) Surgical staff assigned to Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) perform a skin graft procedure on a patient in one of the hospital's operating rooms Jan. 12. Skin grafting is a surgical procedure that involves the removal of skin from one area of the body, and transplanting it to another. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way many facets of healthcare are conducted, and NMCSD has adapted some of its techniques and practices to keep both staff and patients safe while delivering the high-quality healthcare they’ve come to expect. NMCSD’s mission is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high quality healthcare services and shape the future of military medicine through education, training and research. NMCSD employs more than 6,000 active duty military personnel, civilians, and contractors in Southern California to provide patients with world-class care anytime, anywhere. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Luke Cunningham)

210112-N-LW757-1153 SAN DIEGO (Jan. 12, 2020) Hospitalman Trenton Hayes, a surgical technologist assigned to Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD), hands an instrument to a plastic surgeon during a skin graft procedure in one of the hospital's operating rooms Jan. 12. Skin grafting is a surgical procedure that involves the removal of skin from one area of the body, and transplanting it to another. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way many facets of healthcare are conducted, and NMCSD has adapted some of its techniques and practices to keep both staff and patients safe while delivering the high-quality healthcare they’ve come to expect. NMCSD’s mission is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high quality healthcare services and shape the future of military medicine through education, training and research. NMCSD employs more than 6,000 active duty military personnel, civilians, and contractors in Southern California to provide patients with world-class care anytime, anywhere. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Luke Cunningham)

210112-N-LW757-1061 SAN DIEGO (Jan. 12, 2020) Plastic surgeons assigned to Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) perform a skin graft procedure on a patient in one of the hospital's operating rooms Jan. 12. Skin grafting is a surgical procedure that involves the removal of skin from one area of the body, and transplanting it to another. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way many facets of healthcare are conducted, and NMCSD has adapted some of its techniques and practices to keep both staff and patients safe while delivering the high-quality healthcare they’ve come to expect. NMCSD’s mission is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high quality healthcare services and shape the future of military medicine through education, training and research. NMCSD employs more than 6,000 active duty military personnel, civilians, and contractors in Southern California to provide patients with world-class care anytime, anywhere. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Luke Cunningham)

210112-N-LW757-1052 SAN DIEGO (Jan. 12, 2020) Plastic surgeons assigned to Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) prepare a patient for a skin graft procedure in one of the hospital's operating rooms Jan. 12. Skin grafting is a surgical procedure that involves the removal of skin from one area of the body, and transplanting it to another. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way many facets of healthcare are conducted, and NMCSD has adapted some of its techniques and practices to keep both staff and patients safe while delivering the high-quality healthcare they’ve come to expect. NMCSD’s mission is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high quality healthcare services and shape the future of military medicine through education, training and research. NMCSD employs more than 6,000 active duty military personnel, civilians, and contractors in Southern California to provide patients with world-class care anytime, anywhere. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Luke Cunningham)

210112-N-LW757-1037 SAN DIEGO (Jan. 12, 2020) Cmdr. Eamon O'Reilly, a plastic surgeon assigned to Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD), prepares a patient for a skin graft procedure in one of the hospital's operating rooms Jan. 12. Skin grafting is a surgical procedure that involves the removal of skin from one area of the body, and transplanting it to another. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way many facets of healthcare are conducted, and NMCSD has adapted some of its techniques and practices to keep both staff and patients safe while delivering the high-quality healthcare they’ve come to expect. NMCSD’s mission is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high quality healthcare services and shape the future of military medicine through education, training and research. NMCSD employs more than 6,000 active duty military personnel, civilians, and contractors in Southern California to provide patients with world-class care anytime, anywhere. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Luke Cunningham)

210112-N-LW757-1009 SAN DIEGO (Jan. 12, 2020) Surgical staff assigned to Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) prepare a patient for a skin graft procedure in one of the hospital's operating rooms Jan. 12. Skin grafting is a surgical procedure that involves the removal of skin from one area of the body, and transplanting it to another. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way many facets of healthcare are conducted, and NMCSD has adapted some of its techniques and practices to keep both staff and patients safe while delivering the high-quality healthcare they’ve come to expect. NMCSD’s mission is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high quality healthcare services and shape the future of military medicine through education, training and research. NMCSD employs more than 6,000 active duty military personnel, civilians, and contractors in Southern California to provide patients with world-class care anytime, anywhere. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Luke Cunningham)

210117-N-RC007-1004 PACIFIC OCEAN (Jan. 17, 2021) U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Robert Baca from Albuquerque, N.M.,  removes sutures from U.S. Coast Guard Machinery Technician 2nd Class Benjamin Florence from Chesterfield, Va., aboard the littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS 1). Freedom is underway conducting routine operations in the U.S Third Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Richard Cho)

210120-N-ZU848-0046 CHINHAE, Republic of Korea (Jan. 20, 2021) Hospital Corpsman James Woo fills a syringe with the COVID-19 vaccine at Navy Branch Health Clinic Chinhae. Sailors from Branch Health Clinic Chinhae and Soldiers from the 549th Hospital Center, 65th Medical Brigade, administered COVID-19 vaccines, on a completely voluntary basis, to personnel identified by DoD distribution guidance.  (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Adam Craft/Released)

210121-N-NY430-1079 INDIAN OCEAN (Jan. 21, 2021) – U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Jamali Mcmillan, places a porcelain blank into a Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramic milling machine to create a tooth crown aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8). The Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group and the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit are conducting operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kristopher S. Haley)

210121-N-NY430-1057 INDIAN OCEAN (Jan. 21, 2021) – U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Elise Hurrell uses a Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramic system to create a tooth crown aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8). The Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group and the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit are conducting operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kristopher S. Haley)

210121-N-NY430-1010 INDIAN OCEAN (Jan. 21, 2021) – U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Tyus Haynes performs a dental cleaning aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8). The Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group and the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit are conducting operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kristopher S. Haley)

210121-N-NY430-1001 INDIAN OCEAN (Jan. 21, 2021) – U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Jamali McMillan, left, prepares to perform an x-ray on Hospital Corpsman 2nd class Elyon Aquino aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8). The Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group and the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit are conducting operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kristopher S. Haley)

210104-N-VM142-001 Lt. Cmdr. Lynette Waterfield receives the COVID-19 vaccine from Hospitalman Jason Cann at Naval Health Clinic Corpus Christi. Following DoD guidance, NHC Corpus Christi is currently administering the COVID-19 vaccine to front line medical workers and first responders, and will implement a coordinated strategy for prioritizing and administering the vaccine through a phased approach to all Active Duty, Reserve, National Guard, as well as all mission-essential Department of Defense civilian employees and other personnel performing mission essential functions, including healthcare, emergency services personnel, and critical support.

201229-N-VK310-0003 Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune on December 28, 2020 administered the first doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Per the Department of Defense’s strategic plan for distribution and administration of the vaccine, initial recipients of the vaccine were given to frontline health care providers and personnel with the Emergency Department/Trauma Department, Intensive Care Unit and other frontline workers as identified by the facility. Vaccines will also be given to frontline health care workers and first responders attached to Marine Corps Installations East to include MCAS New River, II MEF, and MARSOC.

201229-N-DA693-1002 SAN DIEGO (Dec. 29, 2020) Lt. Cmdr. Daniel Hammer, a maxillofacial surgical oncologist assigned to Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) (left), and Lt. Justin Odette, one of the oral and maxillofacial surgery chief residents assigned to NMCSD (center), inspect a patient’s prosthetic denture approximately six weeks after an immediate jaw replacement surgery Dec. 29. Hammer, Odette and their colleagues performed the Department of Defense’s and California’s first ever immediate jaw reconstruction surgery using 3D-printed teeth. A tumor-stricken lower jaw was removed from the patient and replaced with a section of the fibula. NMCSD’s mission is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high quality healthcare services and shape the future of military medicine through education, training and research. NMCSD employs more than 6,000 active duty military personnel, civilians, and contractors in Southern California to provide patients with world-class care anytime, anywhere. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jake Greenberg)

201229-N-DA693-1001 SAN DIEGO (Dec. 29, 2020) Lt. Cmdr. Daniel Hammer, a maxillofacial surgical oncologist assigned to Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) (center), and Lt. Justin Odette, one of the oral and maxillofacial surgery chief residents assigned to NMCSD (right), inspect a patient’s prosthetic denture approximately six weeks after an immediate jaw replacement surgery Dec. 29. Hammer, Odette and their colleagues performed the Department of Defense’s and California’s first ever immediate jaw reconstruction surgery using 3D-printed teeth. A tumor-stricken lower jaw was removed from the patient and replaced with a section of the fibula. NMCSD’s mission is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high quality healthcare services and shape the future of military medicine through education, training and research. NMCSD employs more than 6,000 active duty military personnel, civilians, and contractors in Southern California to provide patients with world-class care anytime, anywhere. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jake Greenberg)

201226-N-LD903-1070 INDIAN OCEAN (Dec. 26, 2020) – Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Drazen Manansala conducts a blood type test aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8). The Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group and the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit are conducting operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ethan Jaymes Morrow)

201226-N-LD903-1014 INDIAN OCEAN (Dec. 26, 2020) – U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Jamali McMillan, left, prepares to draw blood aboard amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8). The Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group and the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit are conducting operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ethan Jaymes Morrow)

201222-N-LW757-1059 SAN DIEGO (Dec. 22, 2020) A mother embraces her child in Naval Medical Center San Diego's (NMCSD) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Dec. 22. NMCSD's NICU celebrated Christmas Cuties, a holiday event in which NICU staff, along with parents, dressed the newborns in holiday-themed clothing to highlight the Christmas season, and take some of the families' focus off the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way many facets of healthcare are conducted, and NMCSD has adapted some of its techniques and practices to keep both staff and patients safe while delivering the high-quality healthcare they’ve come to expect. NMCSD’s mission is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high quality healthcare services and shape the future of military medicine through education, training and research. NMCSD employs more than 6,000 active duty military personnel, civilians, and contractors in Southern California to provide patients with world-class care anytime, anywhere. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Luke Cunningham)