Crewmember on Navy hospital ship Comfort tests positive for coronavirus

[LKJ86]

Crewmember on Navy hospital ship Comfort tests positive for coronavirus
The news comes the same day the ship was allowed to take COVID-19 patients.
By Luis Martinez
7 April 2020, 10:53 5 min read
Source:https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/cre...-tests-positive-coronavirus/story?id=70012654

A crew member aboard the U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort has tested positive for novel coronavirus and is currently in isolation aboard the ship that is currently docked in New York City, according to a U.S. Navy statement.

The news comes on the same day that the hospital ship was designated to begin treating COVID-19 patients in New York City, a reversal from the earlier policy that it could only treat patients not infected with the coronavirus.

"There is no impact to Comfort’s mission, and this will not affect the ability for Comfort to receive patients," according to the Navy statement. "The ship is following protocols and taking every precaution to ensure the health and safety of all crewmembers and patients on board."

"The crew member had no contact with patients," the statement said.

Because the crew member did not come into contact with patients, it is highly likely that the crew member was asyptomatic when the Comfort left its homeport of Norfolk, Virginia, on March 28.

Other crew members who had contact with the crew member have tested negative for the virus, said a Navy official. But the official added that out of an abundance caution they will remain in isolation for several days regardless of the test results.

On Monday, President Donald Trump approved the hospital ship's transition to treat coronavirus patients due in large part to the small number of non-coronavirus patients the ship has treated during its week in New York City while civilian hospitals were overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients.

"Taking on more patients as quickly as possible is critical to helping the city of New York during this pandemic crisis," said Vice Adm. Andrew Lewis, commander of the U.S. Second Fleet. "We listened to the feedback from area health professionals and the community and believe this is the best way we can help our fellow Americans."

The field hospital at the Javits Center will be the military's primary facility for COVID-19 patients, but beginning immediately, the Comfort will accept trauma, emergency and urgent care patients without regard to their coronavirus status.

To minimize the risk to the ship's crew, they will be kept apart from the medical staff aboard the Comfort to prevent any inadvertent exposure of the virus.

And in a further step to prevent exposure, some of the ship's medical personnel -- who will be in contact with COVID-19 patients -- will be moved to a local hotel. That will reduce the number of personnel staying in the ship's berthing areas and improve social distancing.

 

[Beast]

Indeed, it will infected, they are just denying the inevitable.

 

[Raphael]

Diamond Princess v2.0

 

[atan651]

Apparently the ship isn't very comfortable, pun intended!

 

[LKJ86]

USNS Mercy Crew Member Tests Positive For Coronavirus While Hospital Ship Docked In Los Angeles
BY SOO KIM ON 4/9/20 AT 5:23 AM EDT
Source:https://www.newsweek.com/usns-mercy...hile-hospital-ship-docked-los-angeles-1497008

The novel coronavirus has infected a crew member aboard the USNS Mercy, the hospital ship docked in Los Angeles to provide relief to local hospitals by treating non-COVID-19 patients.

The infected medical treatment facility crew member has been isolated on the ship and will be transferred to a facility where they will self-monitor for severe symptoms, the U.S. Navy confirmed on Wednesday.

Crew members who have been in contact with the infected individual will also be isolated and removed from the ship, Cmdr. John Fage, a 3rd Fleet spokesperson for the Navy, confirmed.

"The ship is following protocols and is taking precaution to ensure the health and safety of all crew members and patients on board," said Lt. Joseph Pfaff, Navy Public Affairs Officer.

The latest positive case will not affect medical operations aboard the ship, Pfaff added.

It is unknown how the individual was exposed to the virus but some crew members were reported to have previously been assigned to THE Naval Medical Center San Diego, one of two local military facilities where COVID-19 patients are being treated, Naval Medical Forces Pacific told The San Diego Union-Tribune.

All patients must test negative for the virus before being allowed to board the ship, according to Fage.

Around 30 patients have been treated so far on the 1,000-bed hospital ship, equipped with 800 medical staff, since it arrived in Los Angeles last month. They have been treated for conditions such as gunshot wounds, heart failure and pneumonia, but no COVID-19 cases.

The latest news follows a positive case confirmed aboard the USNS Comfort hospital ship in New York City earlier this week.

"A crew member onboard USNS Comfort tested positive for COVID-19 April 6. The crewmember is isolated from patients and other crew members," a statement from the Navy confirmed.

The statement added: "There is no impact to Comfort's mission, and this will not affect the ability for Comfort to receive patients. The ship is following protocols and taking every precaution to ensure the health and safety of all crew members and patients on board."

The USNS Comfort was deployed for the same mission as the USNS Mercy. Earlier this week the request for the ship to be used to treat COVID-19 patients was approved by President Donald Trump. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo made the request as the city is struggling to cope with an overwhelming number of COVID-19 cases, which currently stands at 81,803.

The ship, equipped with 1,000 hospital beds and 1,200 medical workers, came under criticism last week after delays in admitting patients before it was approved to take COVID-19 patients. It reportedly had only taken 20 patients aboard since it began operations on April 1, with hundreds of beds on the ship remaining unused.

New York is the worst-hit state in the country, reporting the highest number of cases and deaths, including at least 4,571 deaths in New York City.

The virus, which was first reported in Wuhan, China, has killed more than 88,500 people, including more than 14,000 in the U.S. Over 329,800 have recovered from infection, including reportedly nearly 24,000 in the U.S.

The graphic below, provided by Statista, illustrates the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S.

 

[LKJ86]

USNS Mercy Crew Member Tests Positive For Coronavirus While Hospital Ship Docked In Los Angeles
BY SOO KIM ON 4/9/20 AT 5:23 AM EDT
Source:https://www.newsweek.com/usns-mercy...hile-hospital-ship-docked-los-angeles-1497008

The novel coronavirus has infected a crew member aboard the USNS Mercy, the hospital ship docked in Los Angeles to provide relief to local hospitals by treating non-COVID-19 patients.

The infected medical treatment facility crew member has been isolated on the ship and will be transferred to a facility where they will self-monitor for severe symptoms, the U.S. Navy confirmed on Wednesday.

Crew members who have been in contact with the infected individual will also be isolated and removed from the ship, Cmdr. John Fage, a 3rd Fleet spokesperson for the Navy, confirmed.

"The ship is following protocols and is taking precaution to ensure the health and safety of all crew members and patients on board," said Lt. Joseph Pfaff, Navy Public Affairs Officer.

The latest positive case will not affect medical operations aboard the ship, Pfaff added.

It is unknown how the individual was exposed to the virus but some crew members were reported to have previously been assigned to THE Naval Medical Center San Diego, one of two local military facilities where COVID-19 patients are being treated, Naval Medical Forces Pacific told The San Diego Union-Tribune.

All patients must test negative for the virus before being allowed to board the ship, according to Fage.

Around 30 patients have been treated so far on the 1,000-bed hospital ship, equipped with 800 medical staff, since it arrived in Los Angeles last month. They have been treated for conditions such as gunshot wounds, heart failure and pneumonia, but no COVID-19 cases.

The latest news follows a positive case confirmed aboard the USNS Comfort hospital ship in New York City earlier this week.

"A crew member onboard USNS Comfort tested positive for COVID-19 April 6. The crewmember is isolated from patients and other crew members," a statement from the Navy confirmed.

The statement added: "There is no impact to Comfort's mission, and this will not affect the ability for Comfort to receive patients. The ship is following protocols and taking every precaution to ensure the health and safety of all crew members and patients on board."

The USNS Comfort was deployed for the same mission as the USNS Mercy. Earlier this week the request for the ship to be used to treat COVID-19 patients was approved by President Donald Trump. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo made the request as the city is struggling to cope with an overwhelming number of COVID-19 cases, which currently stands at 81,803.

The ship, equipped with 1,000 hospital beds and 1,200 medical workers, came under criticism last week after delays in admitting patients before it was approved to take COVID-19 patients. It reportedly had only taken 20 patients aboard since it began operations on April 1, with hundreds of beds on the ship remaining unused.

New York is the worst-hit state in the country, reporting the highest number of cases and deaths, including at least 4,571 deaths in New York City.

The virus, which was first reported in Wuhan, China, has killed more than 88,500 people, including more than 14,000 in the U.S. Over 329,800 have recovered from infection, including reportedly nearly 24,000 in the U.S.

The graphic below, provided by Statista, illustrates the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S.