WASHINGTON (AP) — Five sailors on the U.S. aircraft carrier sidelined in Guam due to a COVID-19 outbreak
have tested positive for the virus for the second time and have been taken off the ship, according to
the Navy.
The resurgence of the virus in the five sailors on the USS Theodore Roosevelt underscores the befuddling
behavior of the highly contagious virus and raises questions about how troops that test positive can be
reintegrated into the military, particularly on ships.
All five sailors had previously tested positive and had gone through at least two weeks of isolation. As
part of the process, they all had to test negative twice in a row, with the tests separated by at least
a day or two before they were allowed to go back to the ship.
The Roosevelt has been at port in Guam since late March after the outbreak of the virus was discovered.
More than 4,000 of the 4,800 crew members have gone ashore since then for quarantine or isolation.
Earlier this month hundreds of sailors began returning to the ship, in coordinated waves, to get ready
to set sail again.
In a statement Friday, the Navy said that, while onboard, the five sailors self-monitored and adhered to
strict social distancing protocols.
"These five Sailors developed influenza-like illness symptoms and did the right thing reporting to
medical for evaluation," the Navy said, adding that they were immediately removed from the ship and
put back in isolation. A small number of other sailors who were in contact with them were also taken off
the ship.
Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said the outbreak has been a learning process.
"This is a very stubborn, infectious disease," he told Pentagon reporters during a briefing on
Friday. He said that because of the Navy’s quick action, medical crew were notified right away and
determined who might have also been exposed and got them all off the ship.
As of Thursday, more than 2,900 sailors have reboarded the ship, and about 25% of the more than 1,000 who
had tested positive have now recovered, according to the Navy.
One U.S. official familiar with the situation on the ship said commanders don’t know why this is
happening but suggested it could be related to questions about testing accuracy. The official, who spoke
on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said that screening has been intensified on
the ship. And, anyone who exhibits any flu-like symptoms at all is being tested and removed.
The sailors have been tested using the nasal swab. And in some cases the infection can be at such a low
level that it is not detected by the test. It’s not clear whether cases like these are actual relapses,
or if people tested negative without really being completely clear of the virus.