MSC passenger’s Covid-19 results released by NICD
The ship carries more than 3 500 passengers and crew on board at full capacity.
The Covid-19 tracing team is scrambling to get hold of MSC Cruises, after the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) confirmed that a passenger, who was on board the Orchestra, tested positive for the coronavirus.
The ship carries more than 3 500 passengers and crew on board at full capacity.
Now, the tracing team has the arduous task of tracking down the people who may have had close contact with the infected passenger.
The Newcastle woman, who tested positive for Covid-19, was accompanied by her husband and a group of travelling companions on a luxury cruise to Mozambique, which departed from Durban Harbour on March 13 and returned on March 16, the day after President, Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national state of disaster.
She developed a sore throat and flu-like symptoms during the cruise, which she first attributed to the ship’s air conditioning. Tests at a private laboratory yielded a positive result for the coronavirus. Thereafter, the NICD conducted its own test to verify the initial result.
The woman’s travelling companions were also tested for Covid-19 and their results are all negative.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Newcastle woman tests positive for Covid-19 at private lab
The tracing team is reaching out to MSC Cruises. The company’s offices are currently closed due to the national lockdown. Earlier this week, managing director, Ross Volk, told the Newcastle Advertiser that MSC would wait to be informed by the NICD that a passenger has tested positive, before it took action. Volk expressed MSC’s willingness to follow all the requirements from the National Ministry and the Department of Health.
A media enquiry to public relations manager, Lebo Mavuso, regarding what steps MSC would take now that the NICD has verified the passenger’s results, was unanswered at the time of publishing.
RELATED ARTICLE: MSC Cruises unaware passenger tested positive for COVID-19
Head of the Amajuba Coronavirus Task Team, Dr Musa Ngubane, said the Newcastle woman is recovering well, and commended her for being responsible in ensuring she did not transmit the virus further.
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