About a dozen military personnel on a US Navy ship in Bahrain tested positive for Covid-19, officials said, and another US warship with several possible cases is expected to go to port for further testing.
Approximately 12 military personnel tested positive on board the USS San Diego, an amphibious transport dock in Bahrain, the 5th Navy Fleet said in a statement on Thursday.
All those who tested positive were isolated on board “and the ship remains in a restricted COVID bubble”, according to the statement.
There are also several “people under investigation” aboard the guided missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea, the Navy said.
As soon as the ship arrives at the port, there will be tests on everyone who may have been exposed, he added.
The Navy declined to disclose the port’s location in advance, citing security concerns, but the Middle East and North Africa area is known as the 5th Fleet’s area of operations.
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The USS Philippine Sea stopped a dhow on January 30 – a type of sailboat commonly used in the region – with about 600 pounds of suspected heroin on board in the North Arabian Sea, officials said earlier this month.
The 5th Fleet tweeted that as soon as he became aware of the possible Covid-19 aboard the USS San Diego and USS Philippine Sea “we took immediate steps to identify, isolate, test and treat affected sailors and marines on board the two ships.”
San Diego sails with about 600 sailors and marines on board, while the Philippine Sea carries about 380 sailors.
Last year, more than 1,000 sailors were infected with Covid-19 on board the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. A sailor died and the aircraft carrier was away from Guam for weeks.
At the time of the outbreak, the ship’s captain, Captain Brett Crozier, raised the alarm in a letter with strong words to the Navy leadership.
Crozier was removed from his command after the letter was leaked to the media. Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly later ridiculed Crozier for the crew, apologized for the remarks and resigned.
A report by the Department of Defense inspector general released earlier this month said that Roosevelt commanders failed to enforce social detachment and removed sailors from quarantine last year, which compounded the outbreak.
The Associated Press contributed.