(Photo: U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Julio Rivera/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo/Third party image/To match Special Report USA-CHINA/MISSILES)
Five navy personnel aboard the aircraft carrier that was sidelined in Guam because of the coronavirus outbreak have tested positive, again, for Covid-19, and have been ordered out of the ship, the Navy disclosed.
The reemergence of the disease in the five sailors on the USS Theodore Roosevelt highlights the disturbing behavior of the highly infectious virus and raises doubts on how servicemen that have contracted the virus can rejoin the military, especially on combat ships.
The sailors had previously tested positive for the virus, explained a defense official, and were removed from the ship and placed on Guam in solitary confinement. All five sailors completed the compulsory quarantine for 14 days and checked negative twice before being allowed to return to the ship.
The outbreak aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt started late March with just a few cases. As of 30 April, more than a thousand cases were reported onboard the ship.
The virus upended the Pacific deployment of the carrier, pushing it into Guam 's port, where it remains for more than a month while the Navy works to contain the situation.
When the US Navy suspended the release of regular numbers at the end of April, the number of reported cases reached 1,102. More than 2,900 sailors have moved aboard the Roosevelt as of Thursday. According to the Navy, more than 25 percent of all the sailors who tested positive for Covid-19 have now recovered.
The Roosevelt now has a new medical problem, in addition to the outbreak. One sailor was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and was removed from the ship, Navy spokesperson Cmdr. Myers Vasquez said.
One U.S. official familiar with the ship's situation said commanders don't know why this is happening but indicated it could be due to testing accuracy problems.
The official, who was speaking on condition of anonymity to address internal discussions, said screening on the ship was enhanced. And, anyone who displays any flu-like symptoms is being screened and isolated. The sailors were tested with nasal swab. And in some cases the infection can be so small that the test doesn't detect it.
The New York Times reported Thursday that for days after returning to the ship, one sailor experienced a lack of odor, a main symptom of the virus, from medical examiners.
The new development in the USS Theodore Roosevelt saga comes when approximately 3,000 sailors returned to the vessel and is a sign that the battle for a safe ship has yet to be won.
