A sailor serving on the USS aircraft carrier, the Theodore Roosevelt has been the first to die from COVID-19 on the ship, the US Navy announced.
Upon testing positive for the novel coronavirus, the sailor was transferred to an isolation house on Guam, where he was found unresponsive on April 9 and later died on April 13.
More than 500 sailors have tested positive for the virus on the USS Roosevelt.
The ship’s captain was fired earlier this month after his letter was leaked to US newspapers, asking for assistance with the pandemic.
Currently, the USS Theodore Roosevelt is stationed in Guam with sailors quarantining ashore. The name of the sailor who died has been withheld by the Navy until the family is notified.
The sailor tested positive for the virus on 30 March, according to a Navy statement, and was isolated with four others.
He received medical examinations twice a day, and on Thursday morning, he was found unresponsive. CPR was provided by fellow sailors, and the sailor was then transferred to the navy hospital.
Captain of the vessel, Brett Crozier, sent a letter on March 30 to defense officials asking for assistance with the outbreak on board, saying the outbreak was “accelerating” and it was difficult to control in the crowded quarters of the ship.
His eventual firing caused a national uproar and led to the resignation of Thomas Modly, acting Secretary of the US Navy.
Mr. Modly claimed that he had fired Capt Crozier for apparently leaking the letter and having “the impression the Navy was not responding,” saying that the actions of the captain were “naive” and “stupid.”
The Panthera Post 