Eight US Navy sailors on aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt test positive for COVID-19

The US Navy’s senior leadership has stated that eight personnel assigned to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt have tested positive for COVID-19.

Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly confirmed the news through separate press briefings held earlier this week. The first three cases were confirmed on Tuesday, March 24, and a report was released two days later saying that five more sailors on the ship have tested positive for the virus.

Mr Modly then told reporters that the eight sailors have since been airlifted to Guam to undergo treatment at a US Department of Defense hospital.

In a separate statement on Thursday, Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Admiral Mike Gilday said that Theodore Roosevelt has arrived in Guam on a previously-scheduled port visit with the onboard medical team performing testing on the remainder of the more than 5,000-strong crew to identify and isolate positive cases while preventing the further spread of the virus aboard the ship.

Immediate priority will be symptomatic sailors, those in close contact with sailors who have tested positive already, and essential watch standers. Those who test positive will be isolated for the meantime.

The CNO added that, besides the eight positive cases, none of the carrier’s sailors have been hospitalised or are seriously ill.