Navy’s USS Milwaukee Held At Guantanamo Port Over COVID-19 Outbreak Among 100% Vaccinated Crew

The USS Milwaukee (LCS 5) Navy warship has been held at the Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay due to a COVID-19 outbreak among crew members who have been 100% immunized.

In a statement, the U.S. Navy said the “crew is 100% immunized and all COVID-19 positive sailors are isolated on board and away from other crew members.”

The statement added that some of the infected sailors “have exhibited mild symptoms.” The COVID-19 hit Navy vessel is a Freedom variant littoral combat ship. The U.S. Navy said that coronavirus vaccines continue to show effectiveness against the disease and the vessel “is following an aggressive mitigation strategy in accordance with the Navy and CDC guidelines.”

None of the infected crew members were allowed to exit the ship to prevent Guantanamo Bay residents from contracting the virus.

The USS Milwaukee was held at Cuba’s Guantanamo Bay naval station after it docked for refueling. The ship set sail Dec. 14 from Mayport, Florida, for its scheduled deployment to the U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations. It is unclear which variant infected the crew members. It is also unclear if the infected crew members have received their booster shots, Axios reported.

In an email to The Washington Post, spokesperson for the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command Cmdr. Kate Meadows said booster jabs “are not yet mandatory but recommended” in the U.S. Navy. Meadows added that the Navy does not disclose the number of infected sailors “at the crew/unit level.”

More than 100 sailors and a helicopter combat crew were on board the Milwaukee when it departed Florida, The New York Times reported. The U.S. Navy has yet to discuss how long the warship will be held at port.

The Guantanamo Bay base hospital said Sunday that none of the infected crew members from the Milwaukee required hospitalization after the outbreak, the Times reported. Hospital spokeswoman Dawn Grimes said “our medical and public health teams are in close contact with medical on board ship.”

This is not the first time members of the U.S. military and Navy experienced an outbreak. In early 2020, the first major outbreak was logged among crew members of the USS Theodore Roosevelt that resulted in one sailor death, Fox News reported.

More than 1,000 of the ship’s 4,800-member crew contracted COVID-19. Recent data from the U.S. Navy revealed that 98% of servicemen have been vaccinated.