USS Theodore Roosevelt sailor who died of COVID-19 identified

WAHINGTON: A sailor, who was aboard the coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and died due to the disease, has been identified, the US Navy announced. 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 the US Naval Hospital Guam on Monday, Xinhua news agency quoted the Navy as saying in a statement on Thursday.

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, he was found unresponsive during a daily medical check and transferred to an intensive care unit

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 US Navy Thomas Modly, who himself resigned later after his remarks lashing out at the captain backfired.

As of Thursday, 655 sailors from 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.