ANOTHER ONE

Crew Member on U.S. Navy Ship Mercy Docked in L.A. Tests Positive for COVID-19

The ship is designated as a non-coronavirus medical facility, but the captain says the positive case won’t affect the ship’s ability to take patients.

A crew member working onboard the U.S. Navy hospital ship Mercy has tested positive for coronavirus, the service reports. The Mercy has been docked at the Port of Los Angeles since late March to treat non-COVID-19 patients and ease pressure on local hospitals. ABC News Channel 7 reports the crew member is being isolated on the ship and will be transferred to a facility on land. A Navy spokesperson said the case will not affect the ship’s ability to treat non-COVID patients. A crew member also tested positive for coronavirus on the U.S. Navy floating hospital Comfort in New York. That ship has been converted to a COVID-patient care facility.