Truman Prepares Preventative Measures Against COVID

Photo By Petty Officer 3rd Class Kaysee D Lohmann | 200404-N-NQ487-0005 MEDITERRANEAN SEA (April 4, 2020) Aviation Electronics Mate 3rd Class James Gracey, from Mexico, New York, cuts material to make medical-grade cloth face masks in accordance with CDC guidelines aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) in the Mediterranean Sea April 4, 2020. The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group is conducting operations in U.S. 6th Fleet to support maritime security operations in international waters, alongside our allies and partners. Truman has spent at least one day underway for 30 of the last 34 months, in direct support of global security around the world. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kaysee Lohmann)  

ATLANTIC OCEAN

04.30.2020

Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kaysee D Lohmann 

USS Harry S Truman

The Nimitz class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) took proactive measures to help mitigate the risk of COVID-19 transmission by manufacturing protective face masks for medical personnel and other Sailors on the front line of the fight against the disease. Truman is underway in the Atlantic Ocean and is COVID-free; thus, the masks were made in preparation for Truman’s return to homeport.

Truman’s aircraft intermediate maintenance department, deck and medical departments coordinated mask production efforts.

“We are going home to a different environment, so it’s important for us to make preparations for the virus in order to maintain mission readiness and for Sailors to stay fit for full duty,” said Aircrew Survival Equipmentman 2nd Class Caitlin Schumacher, a Truman AIMD paraloft Sailor, who assisted with mask assembly.

Truman’s paraloft assembled the masks using local supplies provided by the ship’s medical department. According to Cmdr. Veronica Bigornia, Truman’s senior medical officer, making the masks is a smart use of Truman’s resources and demonstrates how ships can take actions to stay safe and accomplish the mission.

“The desired effect is to protect those Sailors in jobs that put them at higher risk of breathing in viral particles from other people,” said Bigornia. “These masks are important to cover the two main ways COVID-19 enters the body: your mouth and nose.”

Bigornia added that the masks were produced from Halyard H600 medical fabric, currently used by the ship’s medical department to wrap surgical instruments after use, before they go into a sterilizer.

“Truman Medical will utilize the masks to protect ourselves as we begin screening potentially exposed personnel prior to coming aboard,” said Bigornia. “These masks are as effective as the commercial N95 masks when worn correctly with a good seal and fit around the nose and mouth. The N95 rating means the mask blocks 95% of very small particles. Coronavirus is carried in respiratory droplets with a total size too large to get through an N95-rated mask.”

Due to Truman Sailors’ efforts, essential personnel aboard the ship will have high-quality personal protective equipment available for use as soon as it is needed.

The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HSTCSG) remains at sea in the Atlantic as a certified carrier strike group force ready for tasking, in order to protect the crew from the risks posed by COVID-19, following their successful deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. Keeping HSTCSG at sea in U.S. 2nd Fleet, in the sustainment phase of OFRP, allows the ship to maintain a high level of readiness during the global COVID-19 pandemic.

For more news from Truman, visit www.navy.mil/local/cvn75/, www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

• Date Taken: 04.30.2020
• Date Posted: 04.30.2020 07:48
• Story ID: 368846
• Location: ATLANTIC OCEAN