Two passengers on Celebrity Millennium 100% vaccinated sailing test positive for COVID

(CNN) — Two guests aboard the first major sea cruise hosting Americans since the pandemic halted the industry have tested positive for Covid-19 in required end-of-cruise testing, the cruise line said Thursday.

 

The two guests, who shared a stateroom on the seven-day Celebrity Millennium cruise from St. Maarten, are asymptomatic, in isolation and being monitored by a medical team, Celebrity Cruise Lines said in a news release. ..

 

"We are conducting contact tracing, expediting testing for all close contacts and closely monitoring the situation," the news release said.

 

The ship set sail Saturday "with fully vaccinated crew and guests and following comprehensive protocols that align with our destination partners and exceed CDC guidelines to protect the health and safety of our guests," the release said.

 

So-called "breakthrough" coronavirus cases, in which people get infected after vaccination, are expected. Such cases result in milder Covid-19 illness than in unvaccinated people, a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study published this week shows.

 

Fully vaccinated people are more than 90% protected against infection, with partially vaccinated people 81% less likely to become infected than those who haven't had been inoculated, according to the ongoing study of essential workers who got Pfizer/BioNTech's or Moderna's vaccine.

Those in the study who got breakthrough infections after one or two doses had 40% less virus in their bodies and were 58% less likely to have fever. They spent two fewer days in bed than unvaccinated Covid-19 patients.

 

All guests aboard the Celebrity Millennium cruise -- with port stops in Barbados, Aruba and Curacao -- were required to show vaccination proof and a negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours of departing St. Maarten on Saturday, the release said.

 

About 500 passengers were on board, with over 95% fully vaccinated. Children who could not yet receive vaccinations were required to show negative Covid-19 tests.

 

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