Still, there are some types of patients the ship isn’t taking on.

For now, patients are required to have negative coronavirus tests before they can be brought to the Mercy — although ensuring that the ship remains infection-free is a challenge, as it is for any civilian hospital.

Late on Wednesday, officials aboard the Mercy confirmed in an emailed statement that a crew member on board tested positive for the coronavirus.

The crew member had not been in contact with patients, the statement said, and while they were currently isolated on the ship, they would soon be transferred to an off-ship isolation facility, where they’ll self-monitor for severe symptoms.

[See all the confirmed coronavirus cases in California by county.]

Other crew members who came in contact with the crew member who tested positive will also be isolated off the ship and their conditions will be monitored, including with daily temperature checks.

“This will not affect the ability for Mercy to receive patients,” the statement said. “The ship is following protocols and taking every precaution to ensure the health and safety of all crew members and patients on board.”

Capt. John Rotruck, commander of the medical team aboard Mercy, told us on Tuesday that patients were tested at the hospitals that refer them, but that the Mercy had the capacity to conduct 60 tests per day and get results in about an hour.

After careful consideration, senior Navy doctors decided the best thing they could do would be to offer care to adults.