The Navy has its first case of coronavirus aboard a warship

[Boats]

The Navy has its first case of coronavirus aboard a warship
By: Reuters Staff - 3-16-20
Re: https://taskandpurpose.com/news/coro...ship-uss-boxer

Photo link: https://taskandpurpose.com/.image/c_...l-harbor-.webp
The amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam following a Western Pacific deployment, Nov. 13, 2019. Photo by (U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Aja B. Jackson)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. sailor aboard a warship ship tested positive for the coronavirus for the first time, the U.S. Navy said on Sunday, as it disclosed the case of a person assigned to an amphibious assault ship at port in San Diego.

The Navy said the sailor was quarantined at home and that personnel who had been in close contact with the sailor have been notified and are in self-isolation at their homes.

"None of them is aboard the ship currently. U.S. Navy ships conduct routine, daily cleanliness procedures geared toward health, wellness and the prevention of communicable disease spread," the Navy said in a statement.

The sailor had been assigned to the USS Boxer, the Navy said. A U.S. official, however, said the ship was in port, a substantially less risky situation than being under way at sea.

It was not immediately clear whether the sailor was sleeping on the ship or just working onboard during the day.

The case is the latest example of how the U.S. military is grappling with coronavirus cases around the world, from a Marine who works at key defense agency near the Pentagon to a soldier assigned to U.S. Army Europe Headquarters in Wiesbaden, Germany.

A dangerous virus on a warship presents particular concerns, as sailors operate in close proximity to one another.

The Navy said the USS Boxer was conducting a thorough cleaning, according to specific guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Navy-Marine Corps Public Health Center.

It also said the military was conducting contact tracing to determine whether anyone else may have been in close contact with the sailor.

"Depending on the results of that investigation, additional mitigations may be taken," the Navy said.

By: Reuters Staff & TAGS: NEWS - CORONAVIRUS - USS BOXER - U.S. NAVY
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Personal note: It was just a matter of time before military folks would get infected. This is far from over and Europe has even more deaths reported - daily. They have got to find a cure for this virus - somehow - someway soon.

Boats

[Boats]

A 2nd Navy sailor on a different U.S. warship has tested positive for the coronavirus — this time aboard a destroyer
By: Ryan Pickrell - Business Insider News - 03-17-20 42-min. ago
Re: https://www.businessinsider.com/the-...warship-2020-3

Note I first reported a Navy man at sea was found to have Coronavirus and now there is a 2nd sailor different ship. (see below)

* The coronavirus has spread to another US Navy sailor aboard a warship, this time a guided-missile destroyer.

* Following the announcement that a sailor aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer had tested presumptive positive, the Navy said Tuesday that a sailor aboard the USS Ralph Johnson also had been infected.

* Protecting Navy warships, tight spaces filled with military personnel, from the coronavirus poses a daunting challenge for the service.

The coronavirus that causes the illness COVID-19 and first appeared in China but has since become a global pandemic has infected another US Navy sailor aboard a warship — this time a destroyer, the Navy said Tuesday.

A sailor assigned to the USS Ralph Johnson, a guided-missile destroyer at port in Everett, Washington, tested positive for the virus Monday, according to the Navy.

The destroyer is undergoing an extensive cleaning to prevent further spread, and the sailor is isolated at home.

The first US Navy sailor to test positive for the virus is assigned to the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer but is currently quarantined at home in San Diego, as are individuals identified as having had close contact with the sailor. Military health professionals are investigating whether or not others were exposed.

Both California and Washington have hundreds of coronavirus cases and have experienced dozens of related deaths.

The coronavirus has spread to nearly 6,000 people and killed almost 100 in the US. The number of US military personnel who have tested positive is lower, with the total presently around 20, but the virus continues to spread.

For the Navy, its warships are a serious concern.

Last year, the USS Fort McHenry, a Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship carrying both sailors and Marines, experienced an unusual viral outbreak. Mumps hit the ship hard, infecting 28 people despite efforts to quarantine the infected and disinfect the vessel.

That was a vaccine-preventable illness. There is no vaccine for the coronavirus, which has infected to nearly 200,000 people and killed 7,800 worldwide. Sailors live in close proximity aboard Navy ships, and communicable diseases are easily transmittable.

Navy ships are filled with personnel and are not exactly conducive to social distancing. The Boxer, for instance, can carry up to 1,200 sailors and 1,000 Marines.

Pacific Fleet is begging sailors to stay off ships if they feel unwell.

"We don't want sick sailors on our ships right now," Cmdr. Ron Flanders, Naval Air Forces spokesman, told The San Diego Union-Tribune on Monday. "If sailors are feeling ill, they should notify their chain of command."

Some questions have been raised about the Navy's response to infections aboard warships.

Shortly after the revelation that a sailor aboard the Boxer had tested "presumptive positive" for the virus, military leaders gathered around 80 crew members into a small room for a half-hour meeting to discuss the importance of social distancing and other preventative practices, ProPublica reported Monday.

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Personal note: 2nd shipmate on a different ship gets COVID-19. God help us if our shipmates pass this virus along to others shipmates while at sea. This could be a disaster I hope they get handle on this quickly. Close quartered personal like there is on ships - means it could spread quickly.

We need a cure and quick - or this is going to get real ugly fast.

Boats