Sailor Assigned to USS Theodore Roosevelt in Intensive Care

A sailor aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt had to be rushed to the Intensive Care Unit this week after he was discovered unresponsive in his room.

“A U.S. Navy Sailor assigned to USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the U.S. Naval Hospital Guam April 9. The Sailor tested positive for COVID-19 on March 30 and at the time of hospitalization was in a 14-day isolation period on Naval Base Guam," a statement from the Navy said.

At least 416 sailors on the vessel have tested positive for COVID-19, with 97% of the crew having been tested over the last few days.

The ship was formerly under the command of Capt. Brett Crozier, who was relieved last week after he sounded the alarm about an outbreak of COVID-19 on his ship in a memo that was leaked to the media.

Federal Stockpile of Personal Protective Equipment Nearly Gone, New Report Shows

According to documents released by the House Oversight Committee Wednesday, the national stockpile of N95 respirators, surgical and face masks, face shields, gowns and gloves is 90% depleted after the Department of Health and Human Services made their final shipments to states.

The remaining 10% of the stockpile of PPE are being reserved for federal workers and will not be sent to the states, HHS said.

HHS distributed 11.7 million N95 respirator masks and 7,920 ventilators to states. However, health experts say that's a small fraction of what will be needed as the coronavirus outbreak peaks across the nation.

President Donald Trump says the national stockpile of PPE should be sufficient for states to combat the virus.

"We took over a stockpile where the cupboard was bare and where the testing system was broken and old. And we redid it," Trump said during Tuesday's coronavirus task force briefing.

HHS also said Wednesday that General Motors would begin manufacturing ventilators and personal protective equipment, with 30,000 ventilators due to be delivered by August. GM will be reimbursed nearly $490 million by the federal government for the order.

“Invoking the Defense Production Act to secure ventilator production from GM and other companies is a part of President Trump’s all-of-America approach to combating the coronavirus," Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement. "By rating contracts under the DPA, HHS is helping manufacturers like GM get the supplies they need to produce ventilators as quickly as possible, while also ensuring that these ventilators are routed through the Strategic National Stockpile to where they’re needed most. The Trump Administration has deployed thousands of ventilators from the Strategic National Stockpile that have helped save lives in hotspots such as New York so far. We’re grateful to the GM team for working with the federal government to expand our nation’s supply of ventilators as the pandemic evolves."

To keep up to date on the latest news about the coronavirus and to understand what you need to stay safe and healthy, check out the Coronavirus: Fact vs Fiction podcast from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Kim Komando

About Kim Komando

WJET AM 1400 · Erie's News Talk Station

Listen Now on iHeartRadio