The Navy is struggling to cope with the rampant spread of the coronavirus on the USS Kidd, a destroyer that has seen the number of COVID-19 cases on board jump from 18 to 33 to 47 over three days.
Two of the ship’s sailors have been flown back to the United States for urgent medical attention, and 15 more have been transferred to medical facilities on the USS Makin Island, a small, flattop aircraft carrier used for helicopters and vertical takeoff aircraft.
The USS Kidd has a crew of about 350, so the 47 cases represent about 14% of the sailors on board the ship.
So far, the Navy has tested only 45% of the crew.
By comparison, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, which had a crew of 4,865, has 955 active cases of COVID-19 — representing about 20% of the crew.
The USS Kidd is steaming back to port to be cleaned and disinfected. Meanwhile, the remaining crew members have been issued protective garments and N95 masks.
