U.S. Navy photograph of USS Milwaukee

WASHINGTON – A U.S. Navy warship has paused its deployment to South America due to the fact that of a coronavirus 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, Fla., 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.

The Navy said that “a portion” of those infected are having mild symptoms, and that the circumstantial variant is not yet known. 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.

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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.

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