WASHINGTON, April 16 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Navy on Thursday identified the USS Theodore Roosevelt sailor who had died of COVID-19.
Aviation Ordnanceman Chief Petty Officer Charles Robert Thacker Jr., 41, of Fort Smith, Arkansas, died of coronavirus-related complications at U.S. Naval Hospital Guam on Monday, the Navy said in a press release.
Thacker, who tested positive for COVID-19 on March 30, was removed from the ship and placed in isolation at Naval Base Guam. On April 9, Thacker was found unresponsive during a daily medical check and transferred to an intensive care unit in Guam.
Brett Crozier, then commanding officer of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, sounded the alarm over the outbreak in late March when dozens of sailors on board had tested positive for the virus.
In doing so, Crozier was relieved of his command by then-acting Secretary of the U.S. Navy Thomas Modly, who himself resigned later after his remarks lashing out at the captain backfired.
As of Thursday, 655 sailors from the Roosevelt tested positive for the virus. Six sailors are in the hospital, including one in intensive care.
The Navy has moved 4,059 sailors from the 4,800-person crew to shore. Enidtem
