Cruise Passengers Contract COVID-19 Onboard Ship After Avoiding It Throughout Pandemic

Four family members from California who were aboard the Ruby Princess cruise ship contracted COVID-19 last week after managing to avoid the virus throughout the pandemic, according to a report.

The family, who asked to remain anonymous and confirmed their diagnoses by sharing medical bills from the Ruby Princess Medical Center, told KRON4 that the illnesses were just the latest issues that ruined their family vacation aboard the ship.

The family said they boarded the Ruby Princess on June 26 and were excited since it was one of their first trips since the pandemic started in 2020. But their excitement quickly turned into a nightmare after they encountered issues aboard the ship.

One of the passengers said that on the second day of their trip, her 80-year-old mother got locked inside her cabin's bathroom. On the third day, the toilet allegedly overflowed, and as her mother tried to pick up her suitcase, she fell, injuring her head and leg in the process.

On June 30, the passenger said that she started to feel unwell and went to the ship's medical center. She was then placed in the intensive care unit for several days, and as her condition worsened, she noticed a change in the tone of the medical team.

"They were trying to push us off the boat to go to a medical center nearby in Alaska rather than treat us. I refused to get off the ship and I said I'd seek further help when I get home," the passenger claimed to KRON4.

She also complained about the lack of medical equipment aboard the ship, which kept her from getting a formal diagnosis.

The medical team onboard continued to treat her for the next few days, and on July 2, she was allegedly given a $7,000 medical bill at the Ruby Princess Medical Center.

But when KRON4 asked the management of Ruby Princess if there was a passenger who recently tested positive for COVID-19, they said there were none.

"There is no outbreak, there is nothing," a spokesperson for Princess Cruises reportedly said.

However, on July 3, the passenger's son began to feel sick as well. When he was tested for the flu and COVID-19 on July 5, his final diagnosis from the doctor onboard was that he has COVID-19, according to the passenger.

Her son was immediately isolated, but the other members of the family were not asked to isolate from fellow passengers. When the family complained that he had contracted the illness on board the ship, their doctor said it was not possible.

"He told me, 'Are you kidding me, COVID is everywhere. You don't get it from here,'" the passenger told KRON4.

The passenger's son was also given a $200 medical bill for his treatment.

The rest of the family began feeling ill on July 4, but their COVID-19 tests came back negative.

However, the remaining three members of the family later tested positive after they disembarked the ship Thursday, the passenger claimed.

The passenger's elderly mother was prescribed Paxlovid Friday afternoon, medical records obtained by the outlet showed.

The spokesperson for Princess Cruises said that as a company policy, they do not publicize infection rates.

Since the report was released, two more families who were on board the Ruby Princess cruise during the June 26 to July 6 trip told KRON4 that they had also had several family members test positive for COVID-19.

Another passenger on a Ruby Princess cruise from June 6 to 16 also told the outlet that she and her family contracted a respiratory illness on board.