COVID-19: 668 crew infected on French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle

A total of 1,767 Navy troops had been tested, a majority of the sailors from the Charles de Gaulle. Amid those infected with the virus, 31 are at a hospital including one in intensive care.

Toulon:The French Defence Ministry said that 668 members of the crew of the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and accompanying vessels have tested positive for the coronavirus.

The Charles de Gaulle returned to its base in the southern port of Toulon on Sunday after the outbreak broke out.

The French Defence Ministry said on Wednesday that 1,767 Navy troops had been tested, a majority of the sailors from the Charles de Gaulle. Amid those infected with the virus, 31 are at a hospital including one in intensive care.

Results of about 30% of the tests are not known yet.

The Charles de Gaulle crew members have been placed into quarantine in the military base of Toulon.

The carrier and other vessels have started being disinfected.

The Charles de Gaulle cut short by about 10 days a nearly three-month mission in the central Mediterranean, then in the Atlantic and the North Sea.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.

(With inputs from AP)