How many coronavirus cases have been linked to cruises? Check out the latest numbers
No government or international regulatory agency is comprehensively tracking cases of COVID-19 linked to cruise ships — at least not publicly. Experts say having accurate data is crucial — now and in the future — for passengers, regulators and the industry to understand and assess the risk of cruising during a pandemic. “We’re not doing a great job of counting,” said Dr. Roderick King, CEO of the Florida Institute for Health Innovation. “When it comes to a pandemic, it’s all about the counting.”
Over the past month, the Miami Herald has attempted to fill that void with reliable data. By compiling information from governments, media outlets, non-governmental organizations and companies, the Herald has created the most comprehensive tracking system of coronavirus cases linked to the cruise industry.
While the Herald’s database is the most robust accounting of the novel coronavirus outbreak at sea, it should not be considered complete. The data tracking infections and deaths presented here likely represent an undercount.
Data will be updated weekly until the crisis is over.
Did you or someone you know test positive for COVID-19 within 14 days of being on a cruise ship? Tell us more.
On March 8, as the disease was spiraling out of control worldwide, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Americans to stay away from cruise ships. Still, the industry sailed on. Hundreds of cases resulted from cruises that left after the CDC advisory.
“Public health experts, like the CDC, are providing guidance to stop your cruising, start measuring and testing people and not leave port,” King said. “You can, from an ethics standpoint, ask the question: Was it morally appropriate to create a false sense of security for people getting on?”
See our full methodology here.
Rockford Weitz, director of the Tufts University Maritime Studies Program, said the pandemic has been a “black eye” for the industry, despite lobbying efforts and public messaging touting the safety of its ships.
“We haven’t seen massive outbreaks at hotels and resorts, nothing like what we’ve seen from the cruise industry,” Weitz said. “The challenge they face is that unfortunately they are different from an arena, or even a hotel, because it’s the nature of cruise ships. It’s the same reason why the Navy ships are also having COVID-19 issues. This is a very infectious virus. It spreads when you’re in enclosed spaces.”
It is possible that some of these people got COVID-19 from a source other than the ship they were on. It is also likely that other passengers contracted the virus without developing symptoms or being tested.
See the Herald’s COVID-Cruises data for information regarding cases tied to specific voyages and ships.
Most cruise companies refused to answer questions from the Herald or provide information about how many passengers and crew members had gotten sick or died after traveling on their ships. Companies say it is difficult to know if a passenger who tested positive contracted the infection on one of their vessels or got it later. The companies also said they are not always informed of positive test results.
Several ships had cases on one voyage and then went out on a second or third.
On-board outbreaks generally grew worse after the first voyage.
The Herald’s database shows COVID-19 has affected a significant percentage of the global ocean cruise fleet.
While the industry stopped sailing on March 13, hundreds of crew members were infected. Now many workers are trapped in quarantine at sea as the disease spreads.
Miami Herald researcher Clara Neupert contributed to this report in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Department of Communication and Journalism.
MSC Cruises originally told the Miami Herald it had confirmed a case on the MSC Divina. After initial publication on April 23, MSC provided the Herald with new information showing that the company was mistaken and the case should not have been included in our totals. It was removed April 30, 2020. MSC also contested two other cases but did not provide evidence supporting the case for removal.
Due to a data entry error, the first July 4, 2020, update of the transparency graphic briefly misstated how transparent Virgin Voyages has been about COVID-19 cases. As of that day, Virgin had been 100 percent transparent.
This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 12:01 PM.
