Comfort crewman tests positive

A crew member aboard the hospital ship USNS Comfort, in NYC’s harbor, tested positive for the coronavirus on the day President Donald Trump announced the ship would begin accepting COVID-19 patients. While the sailor’s case of COVID-19 is the first among the ship’s crew, it is not the only confirmed case that has found its way aboard Comfort. Two days before the crew member tested positive, multiple confirmed COVID-19 patients had been errantly transferred to the ship from a NYC facility. Patients who boarded Comfort on April 3 were reportedly not tested for the coronavirus until they were on the ship. Patients remained in isolation while awaiting test results, which take approximately 24 hours. Each patient who tested positive has since been removed from the ship and returned to NYC’s Javits Center to continue treatment. Comfort arrived March 30 in NYC with a mission of treating non-COVID patients. As of April 4, the ship had treated fewer than 30 people, a number that’s expected to spike with the admittance of coronavirus patients. The sailor has been moved into isolation aboard the ship, Navy officials told ABC News. “There is no impact to Comfort’s mission, and this will not affect the ability for Comfort to receive patients,” Navy officials said. The sailor did not come into contact with patients, officials told ABC. Other sailors who have interacted with the infected crew member have tested negative. The individual may have been asymptomatic when first boarding the ship in Norfolk, Va., according to the ABC report. (Source: Navy Times 04/07/20) https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2020/04/07/first-case-of-coronavirus-confirmed-among-crew-of-hospital-ship-comfort/