7 crew members on Mercy hospital ship test positive for coronavirus

Seven crew members on the U.S. Navy hospital ship docked in Los Angeles have tested positive for the coronavirus, the Navy said.

The medical treatment facility crew members from the USNS Mercy who contracted the virus have been put in isolation off the ship, the Navy said in a statement. 

People they are believed to have been in close contact with are also quarantined off the ship, the statement said. All but one of those people have tested negative for the virus, with the exception being the Mercy’s fifth COVID-19 case.

“The ship is following protocols and taking every precaution to ensure the health and safety of all crew members and patients on board,” the Navy said. “This will not affect the ability for Mercy to receive patients at this time.”

The San Diego Union Tribune first reported the number of coronavirus cases among the Mercy’s crew.

The Mercy, one of the Navy’s two hospital ships, was dispatched last month to the Port of Los Angeles from its home base in San Diego to help relieve local hospitals by taking on non-coronavirus patients.

Its sister ship, the USNS Comfort, was sent to New York City, originally with the same mission of treating non-coronavirus patients. But after consternation that the 1,000-bed ship only had a few dozen patients, President Trump agreed to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) request to allow coronavirus-positive patients on the ship.

At least one crew member from the Comfort has tested positive for the virus as of last week.