Tests on the crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, which was struck by an outbreak of COVID-19, found that two-thirds of sailors who tested positive were asymptomatic, a top military official said Friday.

Nearly the entire crew was tested after the coronavirus outbreak forced the nuclear-powered carrier to dock in Guam. One crew member has died.

The outbreak on the Roosevelt has allowed the Pentagon to document the impact of the coronavirus on a large military population, Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman General John Hyten told reporters.

"We haven't really tested a whole population and we learn things from the Roosevelt about asymptomatic versus symptomatic," he said.

As of Friday morning, 94 percent of Roosevelt crew had been tested for COVID-19, with 660 positive cases and 3,920 negative.

"It's only 5,000 people, but it is 5,000 people of a certain demographic" that is younger and healthier than the general population, Hyten said.

Studies so far show asymptomatic patients to be between 20 and 50 percent of confirmed cases, according to Hyten, who also serves on the White House coronavirus task force.

"You look at our number. It's almost 60, 70 percent asymptomatic," he said.

Additionally, just over 10 percent of the positive cases had initially come back as negative in late March.

"What we learned is that those negative to positives always transitioned in the 14-day period" of quarantine recommended by health officials worldwide.

"A 14-day quarantine in individual or very small groups, followed by a test, will give us high confidence that we have a clean crew," he said.

The Pentagon, which has stopped all movement of troops around the world, will test almost all of its forces as soon as possible to help decide how to return to normal operations.

Related Links
Naval Warfare in the 21st Century

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Sailor from US aircraft carrier dies of COVID-19
Washington (AFP) April 13, 2020
A sailor who was aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier died Monday of COVID-19, the first fatality from nearly 600 confirmed cases among its crew, the US Navy said. The sailor, who tested positive on March 30, was discovered unresponsive on April 9 and placed in the intensive care unit of the navy's hospital in Guam, where the Roosevelt is docked. The death came six days after Thomas Modly resigned as acting navy secretary over his mishandling of an outbreak on the Roosevelt, one of ... read more