55 people test positive for COVID on US cruise ship

US: Fifty-five people have tested positive for COVID-19 aboard a Royal Caribbean International cruise ship that set sail Saturday from the southeastern state of Florida, the company said.

The infections on the Odyssey of the Seas involved passengers and crew members, even though 95 percent of the people on board were vaccinated against the coronavirus, Royal Caribbean said late Wednesday.

Out of an abundance of caution the ship did not dock at the Caribbean islands of Curacao and Aruba, the last scheduled stops on its eight-day voyage, so it will remain at sea until it returns to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Dec 26. The Odyssey is carrying 3,587 passengers and 1,599 crew members, according to USA Today newspaper.

The shipping company said all 55 of those infected have been vaccinated against the coronavirus and are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms. Their close contacts have been quarantined for 24 hours before undergoing a COVID test. This is the second outbreak on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship in less than a week. – JAPAN TODAY