Yahoo TV

The captain of a U.S. aircraft carrier is pleading for help as the coronavirus spreads onboard his ship.

In a letter dated Monday (March 30), he describes a bleak situation on the USS Theodore Roosevelt as more sailors test positive.

U.S. officials confirmed the contents of the letter to Reuters on Tuesday (March 31), where Captain Brett Crozier wrote that the carrier lacked enough quarantine and isolation facilities and called for 'decisive action.'

He said quote, "We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset - our sailors."

The Navy puts the ship's complement onboard at around 5,000 people.

U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters that nearly 80 people aboard the ship have tested positive.

However, the Navy still declined to confirm exactly how many people had been infected.

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper told CBS News on Tuesday he had not yet read the letter in detail but it was not yet time to evacuate the carrier.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY MARK ESPER, SAYING:

"I don't think we're at that point Norah. We're moving a lot of supplies and medical assistance out to the carrier in Guam. We're providing additional medical personnel as they need it. I'm pleased to report that none of them are seriously ill."

The carrier was in the Pacific when the Navy reported its first coronavirus case a week ago.

It has since pulled into port in Guam, a U.S. territory in the western Pacific.

Admiral John Aquilino, head of the U.S. Navy's Pacific fleet, has told reporters they plan to begin taking sailors off the ship on a rotating basis.

The Roosevelt is just the latest example of the virus' spread throughout the U.S. military.

As of Tuesday, more than 600 active-duty service members have tested positive.