18 crew members aboard U.S. Navy destroyer test positive for coronavirus

At least 18 crew members aboard the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Kidd have tested positive for the coronavirus, marking the second outbreak at sea on a U.S. Navy warship, the Navy said on Friday.

The Pentagon said more cases are expected aboard the USS Kidd, as the destroyer is carrying out a counter-narcotics mission near South America.

The Navy said the ship will return to port, where they will remove a portion of the crew and continue to clean and disinfect the ship.

USS Kidd is the second U.S. Navy ship to be hit by the coronavirus outbreak, following the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, which is docked in Guam and has more than 800 confirmed virus cases.

Local media reported earlier this week that crews from 26 U.S. warships have been hit by the coronavirus, but most of them are in port.

According to U.S. Department of Defense's data, a total of 3,919 coronavirus cases have been confirmed among U.S. Active Duty personnel, with 1,445 from the U.S. Navy. Two of them have died.