Passenger dies from COVID-19 amid outbreak on Carnival cruise ship

A 77-year-old woman has died from COVID-19 after testing positive on a Carnival cruise in Belize, marking the first reported death since cruises in the Caribbean and the United States were restarted in June.

The Carnival Vista cruise ship departing from Galveston, Texas, reported 27 people tested positive over two weeks in late July and early August, the highest number of cases since cruises resumed sailing.

NBC News was working to confirm the identity of the woman, who died on August 14. The New York Times reported that she was a great-grandmother from Oklahoma.

The woman left on the Carnival Vista with her family on July 31 and tested positive for COVID-19 after experiencing respiratory complications, the Times reported. She was admitted to a hospital in Belize and put on a ventilator before being evacuated to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and receiving treatment.

The outbreak of 27 cases aboard the ship was discovered on the fourth day of an eight-day cruise, shortly before the ship docked in Belize. Twenty-six of those who tested positive were crew members and the other was a passenger.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a law prohibiting companies from requiring proof of vaccination, but more than 96% of passengers and all but one crew aboard the Carnival Vista were fully vaccinated, according to the Belize Tourism Board. It was not clear whether the deceased woman was vaccinated or not.

“We are very sorry to learn of the passing of a guest who has sailed Carnival Vista,” Carnival said in a statement. “Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation about the circumstances of this case.

“The guest almost certainly did not contract COVID on our ship, and she was assisted by expert medical attention on board and was eventually evacuated from Belize after we provided a resource for her family. continued to provide support to his family and are not going to add to their sadness by commenting further. “

Carnival has updated its vaccination policy so that starting Saturday, most guests will need to be vaccinated and will also need to present negative results from a COVID-19 test taken within three days before boarding. a ship. Carnival also implemented a mask warrant on August 7 for all passengers in inland areas.

“We have always demanded vaccinations. Since our restart in July, over 95% of customers have been vaccinated. We meet the definition of a vaccinated cruise,” a Carnival spokesperson told NBC’s Kerry Sanders on Tuesday. News. “And we added the testing requirement on July 28. The 28 (August) is the date new guidelines for the Bahamas come into effect.”

As the more contagious Delta variant of the virus continues to spread, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released updated guidelines on August 20 advising travelers at increased risk of serious illness to avoid taking any cruises. their vaccination status.

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