Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
All Sailors Aboard Aircraft Carrier Will Be Tested Following Sharp Increase In Coronavirus Cases
The Wall Street Journal: Nearly Two Dozen U.S. Sailors On Aircraft Carrier Test Positive For Coronavirus
The Navy confronted a mounting crisis at sea after at least 23 sailors aboard an aircraft carrier tested positive for the novel coronavirus by directing the massive ship to a port and deciding to administer tests to all of the more than 5,000 sailors aboard. The decision, announced Thursday, came after a precipitous rise in the number of cases on board the USS Theodore Roosevelt during operations in the Pacific Ocean. On Tuesday, the Navy reported three positive tests for coronavirus aboard the carrier and said it had begun medical evacuations of the stricken sailors. The number of cases is expected to rise. (Youssef and Kesling, 3/26)
NBC News: Coronavirus Outbreak Diverts Navy Aircraft Carrier To Guam, All 5,000 Aboard To Be Tested
"Sailors flown off the ship are doing fine, none required hospitalization — mild aches and pains, sore throats," Modly said Thursday at a Pentagon press briefing, adding they were "in quarantine now on Guam." Other officials said the number of infected sailors has risen sharply — from initial reports of three to "dozens" as of Thursday. "Our medical team aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt is performing testing for the crew consistent with CDC guidelines, and we are working to increase the rate of testing as much as possible," said the Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Mike Gilday. (Gains and Griffith, 3/26)
CNN: Rapid Increase In Cornavirus Cases Aboard US Aircraft Carrier
The Navy says they expect there to be additional positive tests among the crew, with one official telling CNN there could possibly be "dozens" of new cases that emerge. A second official said that were there to be a large number of additional cases, the Defense Department would be unlikely to publicly specify how many of the Navy's overall cases are amongst members of the crew of the Roosevelt, due to concerns that adversaries such as China or North Korea could see the ship as vulnerable. (Conte, Browne and Starr, 3/26)
