COVID-19 sidelines aircraft carrier

Though the U.S. Navy relieved the captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt from command for sending a memo about onboard COVID-19 cases to too many people, it did ultimately act on his concerns. Nearly 3,000 sailors will disembark from the ship, leaving enough to protect the aircraft carrier and run critical systems. Fewer than 100 of the ship’s crew members have tested positive for the disease so far.

Are ships particularly vulnerable? Infectious diseases can spread quickly on board because sailors and passengers live in such close quarters. The Navy hospital ship Comfort arrived in New York City this week. But as of Thursday, it had only accepted about 20 patients due to a ream of regulations hindering how much the crew can do to relieve the city’s overburdened hospitals, The New York Times reported. Meanwhile, two stranded Holland America cruise ships finally docked in Florida on Thursday. Four elderly passengers have already died on the Zaandam—at least two from COVID-19—and nine had tested positive for the disease.

Dig deeper: Read Emily Belz’s report about the Samaritan’s Purse field hospital in Central Park that aims to take some pressure off New York City’s medical facilities.