Another sailor assigned to the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt has been admitted to the intensive care unit over shortness of breath, the Navy announced on Tuesday.
The sailor is one of four members of the Roosevelt's crew now being hospitalized at U.S. Naval Hospital Guam due to COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. A fifth sailor, who was admitted to the ICU last week, died from the illness on Monday.
Military.com reported on Monday that four sailors were hospitalized with the illness. At the time, three of the sailors were in fair condition, Lt. j.g. Rachel McMarr, a Pacific Fleet spokeswoman, said. One of the sailors' condition was unknown.
Related: More Sailors from Carrier Roosevelt Hospitalized with COVID-19
A defense official said this week that none of the four sailors who were hospitalized were on ventilators. It's not immediately clear whether the sailor who was moved into ICU with breathing issues required intubation.
The aircraft carrier pulled into Guam last month where thousands of sailors have been offloaded and isolated as COVID-19 cases spread among the crew. There are now 589 positive cases among the roughly 4,800-person crew.
More than 4,000 sailors have been moved ashore and 93% of the crew has been tested for the disease, according to Navy data.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday has pledged his full support to the Roosevelt as the crew continues its fight against the coronavirus.
The Navy has faced scrutiny for removing the ship's former captain after a candid plea for assistance in dealing with the medical crisis was published by the San Francisco Chronicle. The backlash eventually led former acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly, who made the decision to relieve Capt. Brett Crozier of command, to step down from his role as well.
Crozier is one of the nearly 600 members of the Theodore Roosevelt's crew battling COVID-19.
The virus began spreading on the ship after the carrier made a port call in Vietnam, a "risk-based decision" Gilday told reporters last month was made Adm. Phil Davidson, the head U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
The military has more than 2,600 COVID-19 cases among its uniformed personnel. At least 80 troops are currently being hospitalized as a result of the illness.
-- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins.
Read more: Navy Battling Growing COVID-19 Outbreak on Hospital Ship Mercy as 7 Test Positive
