Navy sailor dies of COVID-19 in Florida

A sailor assigned to the USS Tennessee battleship died Thursday in Florida from complications related to COVID-19, bringing the official number of service members killed by the coronavirus to 20.

Second Class Petty Officer Cody Andrew-Godfredson Myers, 26, of Washington state, was admitted to the Naval Air Station Jacksonville Hospital on Saturday and on Sunday was transferred to the nearby University of Florida Hospital Shands Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where he tested positive for COVID-19. Myers was in the ICU at the time of death, according to a Navy statement.

Myers, an information systems technician, had been placed on restriction of movement Jan. 18 after he came in close contact with an individual who tested positive for COVID-19.

“Sailors who may have been in contact with Myers have been notified already and taken the appropriate precautions,” the Navy said in a separate statement. 

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, shipmates and friends of the Sailor during this extremely difficult time,” the service said.

The sailor’s death follows closely behind those of two other service members, an Air National Guard member from Alabama and an Army National Guard member from California.

Sgt. Goran Dimovski, 40, of the California Guard died Sunday, while Master Sgt. Darryl Lovell, 58, of the Alabama National Guard, died Jan. 28.

In total, eight guardsmen, eight reservists and four active-duty service members have died from the virus.

The Pentagon has also reported 225,753 coronavirus cases as of Wednesday, according to an online chart the Defense Department maintains.

The total cases include 143,272 in the military, 45,106 among civilians, 23,034 among dependents and 14,341 among contractors.

There have also been 164 civilian deaths, nine dependent deaths and 60 contractor deaths, according to the Pentagon data.

Updated: Feb. 5 at 4:18 p.m.