WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Navy announced on Friday it would carry anti-body testing of sailors aboard the coronavirus-hit aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt to determine whether they were exposed to the virus as it spread through the ship.
“We have scheduled the outbreak investigation to begin Monday and we are seeking crew member volunteers to provide an additional swab sample and a routine blood draw for laboratory testing. In addition, they will answer a short survey,” the Navy Surgeon General, Rear Admiral Bruce Gillingham, told reporters.
“The blood sample will undergo a new test that identifies COVID-19 antibodies in the blood. This type of testing is called a serology test. The results tell us if people have been exposed to the coronavirus and subsequently developed anti-bodies.”
(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; Editing by Alistair Bell)
