Positive cases of Covid-19 detected aboard two US Navy warships brought them back to the Naval Support Activity (NSA) base in Bahrain over the weekend.
A dozen troops aboard the amphibious transport dock USS San Diego tested positive for Covid-19, in addition to ‘several’ confirmed cases aboard the USS Philippine Sea, a guided missile cruiser, according to Commander Rebecca Rebarich, spokesperson for the Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet.
“Sailors and Marines are confined to the ship and pier immediately in front of the ship,” Commander Rebarich told the GDN.
“All the sailors aboard both ships will be tested. We have conducted thorough contact tracing, isolated and tested all those identified.”
The San Diego sails with nearly 600 crew onboard, while the Philippine Sea carries approximately 380.
The 5th Fleet patrols the waterways of the Middle East, specifically the Arabian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Gulf through which 20 per cent of all oil traded worldwide passes.
The GDN had reported earlier this month that the NSA Bahrain base, home to some 8,500 US military members and their dependents, was offering the Moderna vaccine on a voluntary basis while encouraging all personnel to get vaccinated.
“Neither ship had been vaccinated yet, but we began administering the first dose of the Moderna vaccine to sailors on USS San Diego on Friday,” added Commander Rebarich.
“Since USS Philippine Sea arrived in Bahrain on Friday, we have planned their vaccinations.
“The ships remain in a restricted Covid bubble. The port visit and medical support have been co-ordinated with the host nation government and Bahrain Health Ministry.”
The distribution of the vaccine at the base, which started after the first shipment arrived in Bahrain on December 30, is under the supervision and direction of the US Department of Defence, as previously reported.
The spike in Covid-19 cases in the past few weeks had prompted the Fifth Fleet to close some of its facilities and cancel its programmes as a precautionary measure.
Mitigation
Throughout the vaccination process, NSA Bahrain has said that it will continue to enact and enforce strict Covid-19 mitigation policies and guidelines, including mask-wearing and social distancing, thorough contact tracing, and restriction of movement procedures for all personnel on-board the installation.
The two-dose Moderna vaccine was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration under an emergency use authorisation.
Moderna has used a biotechnology known as messenger RNA, or mRNA, to produce vaccines against Covid-19.
MRNA vaccines essentially inject genetic code that instructs recipients’ cells to construct a part of the virus. The body recognises the produced protein as foreign and mounts a future immune response when exposed.
The US Navy announced earlier this month that ships with full vaccinated crews would “soon be able to relax some of the health protection measures put in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.”
Commands that have a crew with 100pc immunisation can eliminate the 14-day restriction of movement and relax health protection measures because of the reduced threat of an outbreak, according to the announcement.
These fully immunised crews can relax health protection measures after 14 days at sea if the crew is more than 1,000 people. If the crew is between 300 and 999 people, the measures can be relaxed after four days. Crews less than 300 can relax these measures after one day.
Crews will still have to follow health protection measures such as mask wearing and social distancing when they go ashore or if non-immunised people come on-board.
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