Taiwan confirms COVID-19 outbreak hits second warship in a week
ROC Central News Agency
05/17/2022 11:27 AM
Taipei, May 17 (CNA) Taiwan's Navy confirmed Tuesday that a second warship has been hit by a COVID-19 outbreak within a week but insisted that the outbreak would not affect the vessel's combat readiness.
Navy spokesman Rear Admiral Feng Kuo-wei (馮國維) told CNA that the Kidd-class destroyer Keelung (DDG 1801) was ordered to return to base recently and have everyone on board get tested for COVID-19 after several crew members tested positive using rapid antigen tests while on a routine mission at sea.
Those who later tested positive using the more reliable polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are currently under quarantine, Feng said, but he did not disclose the exact number of confirmed cases.
He did say the destroyer's captain and his deputy were among the COVID-positive crewmen, but indicated that all of those who had the disease had only minor symptoms and that the outbreak has not affected the warship's combat readiness, without elaborating.
Feng's statement confirmed local media reports earlier Tuesday that the Keelung, one of Taiwan's four Kidd-class destroyers, was hit by a COVID-19 outbreak.
That came after the Navy said Monday that a Knox-class Fong Yang frigate was ordered to return to base because some of its crew members had tested positive for COVID-19.
Earlier this month, Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) said more than 1,000 military personnel in Taiwan had tested positive for COVID-19, and fewer than 100 of them had been hospitalized.
Most of those who were infected had either mild or no symptoms and were in home quarantine, Chiu said at the time.
There are some 180,000 people serving in Taiwan's Armed Forces.
(By Novia Huang and Joseph Yeh)
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