Navy says entire USS Theodore Roosevelt crew has been tested for coronavirus

The Navy has tested the entire crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt for the coronavirus, the service said Thursday.

So far, 840 sailors have tested positive for the virus, but a “small number” of results are still pending, the Navy said in a news release.

Thursday’s report marked a jump from the 777 cases the Navy reported Wednesday when it said 99 percent of the crew had been tested.

Of the total positive cases, 88 sailors have since recovered, the Navy noted. Four sailors are in the hospital, down from six Wednesday; none are in intensive care.

One sailor from the Roosevelt died last week.

The coronavirus outbreak aboard the Roosevelt garnered attention after the ship’s former commander, Capt. Brett Crozier, wrote a letter imploring the Navy for help with the outbreak.

After the letter leaked to the media, Crozier was fired by then-acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly, who later resigned himself after he gave a speech aboard the Roosevelt criticizing Crozier.

In the letter, Crozier asked for permission to offload all but 10 percent of the ship’s nearly 5,000-person crew.

As of Thursday, 4,234 sailors have moved ashore to Guam, where the Roosevelt is docked while the ship handles the outbreak.

The Navy conducted an investigation into the situation on the Roosevelt, and top officials have not ruled out reinstating Crozier when it wraps. The investigation results’s release is pending approval from Defense Secretary Mark Esper.

“My understanding is the Navy completed its investigation last week. They’re coming to see me today, tomorrow, I believe, or the next day, and they will back-brief me on their findings, their recommendations,” Esper said Wednesday night on Fox News.

“I’m sure the Navy is going to make the right recommendations, and I will have to assess those, and we’ll move forward from there,” he added.