Navy ship deployment paused due to COVID-19 outbreak

The Navy on Friday announced that it paused the deployment of one of its warships due to a COVID-19 outbreak, The Associated Press reported. 

In a statement on Friday, the department said the USS Milwaukee is staying in port at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay where it had stopped for a scheduled port visit.

The USS Milwaukee, a litorral combat ship, departed from Mayport, Fla. on Dec. 14 to make its way into the U.S. Southern Command region.

The Navy said the ship’s crew is ​​“100% immunized” and those who have tested positive for the virus have been placed in quarantine, according to the AP. 

The ship has little over 100 crew members on board, according to the wire service.

The Navy added that those who tested positive are experiencing mild symptoms and the specific variant they contracted is currently unknown.

“The ship is following an aggressive mitigation strategy in accordance with Navy and [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidelines,” the Navy said in a statement. 

The USS Theodore Roosevelt warship experienced a virus outbreak last year as more than 1,000 out of 4,800 crew members tested positive, resulting in a soldier dying due to complications from the virus, the AP reported. 

The warship was sidelined in Guam for nearly two months as the entire crew went through weeks of quarantine periods in order to keep the ship safe and running. 

The U.S. is currently dealing with a winter surge of COVID-19 infections as the omicron variant has taken hold across the nation. 

According to Navy data, more than 98 percent of all active-duty members are fully vaccinated, the AP noted.