SAN DIEGO — The Navy has removed 126 medical staff members from its hospital ship docked off Los Angeles after seven of them tested positive for COVID-19.

The San Diego-based Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy is serving Los Angeles during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On April 10, FOX 5 learned at least three people had tested positive for the virus on the USNS Mercy, which was sent to L.A. to relieve overcrowded hospitals by taking on non-coronavirus patients.

Tuesday, the Associated Press reported the number of confirmed cases on the ship is now seven.

The sick sailors and anyone they had close contact with have left the ship and are in isolation elsewhere, Cmdr. John Fage, a 3rd Fleet spokesman, told the newspaper.

Navy battling growing COVID-19 outbreak on hospital ship Mercy as 7 test positive https://t.co/aMZoArB5C8 — Andrew Dyer (@SDUTdyer) April 13, 2020

“Seven Medical Treatment Facility crewmembers on board USNS Mercy have tested positive for COVID-19 and are currently isolated off the ship,” Fage said in an email. “The ship is following protocols and taking every precaution to ensure the health and safety of all crewmembers and patients on board.”

The outbreak has not affected Mercy’s ability to receive patients, Fage told the U-T.

The Mercy arrived in L.A. from San Diego on March 27. The ship has about 1,000 beds and is crewed by more than 800 sailors, doctors, surgeons and other personnel. It has 12 fully-equipped operating rooms, laboratories, a pharmacy and radiological equipment.

Watch FOX 5’s interview with Capt. John R. Rotruck here.

The Mercy’s outbreak comes with the backdrop of the troubled USS Theodore Roosevelt, the San Diego-based aircraft carrier with hundreds of infected sailors, currently quarantined in Guam.

The Roosevelt’s commanding officer was removed from his post over the way he shared a memo raising the alarm about the carrier’s outbreak. That triggered more fallout, including the resignation of the acting Navy secretary.