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. 2020 Jun 12;69(23):714-721.
doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6923e4.

SARS-CoV-2 Infections and Serologic Responses from a Sample of U.S. Navy Service Members - USS Theodore Roosevelt, April 2020

Daniel C Payne, Sarah E Smith-Jeffcoat, Gosia Nowak, Uzo Chukwuma, Jesse R Geibe, Robert J Hawkins, Jeffrey A Johnson, Natalie J Thornburg, Jarad Schiffer, Zachary Weiner, Bettina Bankamp, Michael D Bowen, Adam MacNeil, Monita R Patel, Eric Deussing; CDC COVID-19 Surge Laboratory Group; Bruce L Gillingham
Collaborators, Affiliations

SARS-CoV-2 Infections and Serologic Responses from a Sample of U.S. Navy Service Members - USS Theodore Roosevelt, April 2020

Daniel C Payne et al. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. .

Abstract

Compared with the volume of data on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreaks among older adults, relatively few data are available concerning COVID-19 in younger, healthy persons in the United States (1,2). In late March 2020, the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt arrived at port in Guam after numerous U.S. service members onboard developed COVID-19. In April, the U.S. Navy and CDC investigated this outbreak, and the demographic, epidemiologic, and laboratory findings among a convenience sample of 382 service members serving aboard the aircraft carrier are reported in this study. The outbreak was characterized by widespread transmission with relatively mild symptoms and asymptomatic infection among this sample of mostly young, healthy adults with close, congregate exposures. Service members who reported taking preventive measures had a lower infection rate than did those who did not report taking these measures (e.g., wearing a face covering, 55.8% versus 80.8%; avoiding common areas, 53.8% versus 67.5%; and observing social distancing, 54.7% versus 70.0%, respectively). The presence of neutralizing antibodies, which represent antibodies that inhibit SARS-CoV-2, among the majority (59.2%) of those with antibody responses is a promising indicator of at least short-term immunity. This report improves the understanding of COVID-19 in the U.S. military and among young adults in congregate settings and reinforces the importance of preventive measures to lower risk for infection in similar environments.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors have completed and submitted the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Laboratory results among a convenience sample of U.S. service members who provided serum specimens (N = 382) and nasopharyngeal swabs (N = 267) for SARS-CoV-2 testing — USS Theodore Roosevelt, April 2020 Abbreviations: Ab = antibody; ELISA = enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Inc = inconclusive; Neg = negative; Pos = positive; RT-PCR = real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction. * Of those with positive serum ELISA tests, 59% demonstrated positive microneutralization tests.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals of previous or current SARS-CoV-2 infection, by individual symptoms among service members reporting at least one symptom (n = 284) — USS Theodore Roosevelt, April 2020
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Days from symptom onset to specimen collection (A) among a convenience sample of participants who had positive real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or positive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test results for SARS-CoV-2 (n = 191) and (B) microneutralization results among those with positive ELISA test results (n = 183) — USS Theodore Roosevelt, April 2020 Abbreviations: Ab = pan-immunoglobulin antibody response; Mn = microneutralization test. * Three persons who reported symptoms and had previous or current infection did not report a date of symptom onset and were not included in this figure.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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