The Ships at Sea

The nearly-forgotten virus exposes a threat to naval forces: what if a single case aboard could disable a major warship, even a fleet? Fortunately, that is not the case this time out.
The Theodore Roosevelt has now returned to sea, and the final data offered by the Navy remains at 1,102 cases, with only one reported death. Presumably, additional deaths aboard the ship would qualify as a “significant change,” and thus we can assume that, while still tragic, only one person, 41-year-old Chief Petty Officer Charles Robert Thacker Jr., died of the virus. The Navy has not disclosed whether Thacker suffered from any underlying health conditions.

Doing some simple math, COVID-19 aboard the Theodore Roosevelt had a death rate of 0.09 percent, while the estimated death rate for the seasonal flu is 0.1 percent.

This data point offers incredibly useful insight into how COVID-19 affects a young and healthy population. Most enlisted sailors are under 30 years old.

A similarly low death rate has been seen on France’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, where more than 1,000 sailors contracted the virus but zero died. These death rates are even lower than estimates in a new CDC report, which estimates the death rate for people under 50 years old at only 0.05 percent.
Unfortunately, staying young is not an option. Staying healthy may not be either, although staying in shape is something most of us can do.

7 comments:

ymarsakar said...

That is why Trum is funding a US Navy Space Fleet to be integrated with the US Space Force...

While he is doing Operation Warp Speed.

Omg, can people connect the dots here... Trum is literally trying to open the barn doors.

Ken said...

Not sure what "connect the dots" or "open the barn doors" mean. Try writing a couple of sentences to clarify your thoughts.

ymarsakar said...

Sorry you don't understand Ken.

I have written millions of words at this point. Any more will piss off Grim host here.

I just wrote about people not understanding me here... it's like prophecy isn't a thing any more, but instant karma.

Assistant Village Idiot said...

"Staying young is not an option." That is uncomfortably well put.

E Hines said...

"Staying young is not an option." That is uncomfortably well put.

It's also not particularly relevant. A significant fraction of the human species that was ever born is still alive. Death is not a foregone conclusion.

Eric Hines

Grim said...

That’s ambitious.

Christopher B said...

That's largely because once you get clean water, basic sanitation/waste removal, and a decent food supply you've eliminated most of the things that kill children before they can reproduce. Add in some level of protection from childhood diseases and basic antibiotics, and your population goes into overdrive.