Pentagon confirms coronavirus outbreak on United States destroyer

The Pentagon on Friday confirmed an outbreak of coronavirus aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer, saying one of the sailors infected was medically evacuated from the vessel and it was halting operations and returning to port.

Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman, speaking in a news briefing, confirmed the outbreak aboard the Kidd, which was first reported by Reuters. The Reuters report quoted U.S. officials as saying more than a dozen sailors had tested positive for the virus. He referred queries about the specific number of infections to the Navy.