Portion of Mayport-based US Navy warship crew isolates after COVID-19 outbreak

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A U.S. Navy warship is battling a Covid outbreak. The unit of the U.S.S. Milwaukee is 100% vaccinated but the outbreak has forced it to enactment successful larboard aft a scheduled halt successful Cuba hardly 1 week into its deployment.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An unexpected coronavirus outbreak connected the Navy warship U.S.S. Milwaukee based retired of Mayport.

An unspecified information of the ship’s 105-person unit is successful isolation Sunday aboard the vessel astatine Naval Station Guantánamo Bay, Cuba according to Commander Kate Meadows, a spokeswoman for U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command.

In a partial connection Meadows confirmed:

“Some of the unit who tested affirmative for the microorganism person displayed mild symptoms.”

However, determination is nary confirmation that the outbreak is the omicron strain.

The warship paused its deployment to South America due to the fact that of the outbreak, the Navy said Friday.

The USS Milwaukee, a litorral combat ship, is staying successful larboard astatine Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, wherever it had stopped for a scheduled larboard visit. It began its deployment from Mayport connected December 14 and was heading into the U.S. Southern Command region.

The Navy said successful a connection that the ship's unit is “100% immunized” and that each of those who tested affirmative for COVID-19 person been isolated connected the vessel distant from different unit members. The fig of unit investigating affirmative was not disclosed. The vessel has a unit of a small much than 100.

COVID-19 cases person surged crossed the state arsenic a effect of the highly contageous omicron variant.

“The vessel is pursuing an assertive mitigation strategy successful accordance with Navy and CDC guidelines,” the Navy said.

The archetypal large subject outbreak of the microorganism was aboriginal past twelvemonth connected a Navy warship, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, an craft bearer that was operating successful the Pacific. The Roosevelt was sidelined successful Guam for astir 2 months, and much than 1,000 of the 4,800 unit members tested positive. One sailor died, and the full unit went done weeks of quarantine successful a rotation that kept capable sailors connected the vessel to support it harmless and running.

According to the latest information released by the Navy, much than 98% of each progressive work sailors person been afloat vaccinated.

Officials person not confirmed if immoderate of those connected committee person received a booster shot.