The effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccines has come into question once again as the virus found its way onto a fully vaccinated cruise ship. A cruise ship returning from travelling across the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean sea reported an outbreak of Covid-19, with at least one suspected to have contracted the omicron variant.
Norwegian Breakaway, which is owned by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., departed from the Port of New Orleans on November 28th and set sail for Belize, Honduras and Mexico, bringing over 3,200 people on board.
However, the cruise ship detected 17 coronavirus infections among its crew and guest ahead of returning to its homeport.
In a statement, the Norwegian said it “has been adhering to appropriate quarantine and isolation protocols as new cases and exposures have been identified aboard this vessel.”
Infected passengers or crew must travel directly to their homes or self-isolate at an undisclosed location. Meanwhile, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, the City of New Orleans and the Port of New Orleans were notified about the incident.
The vessel-tracking website CruiseMapper noted that Norwegian Breakaway docked back in New Orleans early Sunday morning, December 5th, and all those on board were subjected to a Covid test before exiting the ship. According to reports, the single “probable” omicron case was a crew member who was not a Louisiana resident and has since remained on the vessel.
The Norwegian’s website requires all passengers and crew members to already be vaccinated against the virus at least two weeks prior to departure.
