The number of positive tests for COVID-19 on board aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt rose to 155, up 13 percent from the previous day, Reuters reported Saturday, citing the U.S. Navy.
Forty-four percent of the roughly 5,000 crew have been tested, and 1,548 service members have been transferred onto Guam, where the ship is currently docking, according to the report. None of those infected with the virus have been hospitalized.
The Navy planned to evacuate 2,700 sailors on board the vessel due to the outbreak, about which Captain Brett Crozier earlier this week reported to higher-ranking officials in the chain of command, pleading for help to contain the virus' spread.
Crozier was relieved of his duty Thursday, as Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said the commander, by alarming his superiors about the situation and expressing concerns over the Pentagon's insufficient response, failed to "act professionally when acting professionally was what was needed at the time."
Crozier received standing ovation from a large crowd of sailors under his command when he disembarked the ship Friday.
Also on Friday, Senate Democrats called for a formal investigation into the Navy's response to the virus outbreak as well as its decision to remove the captain, while Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden hailed Crozier as being "faithful to his duty."
There have also been reports that some COVID-19 cases have emerged on board aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.
