Fully Vaccinated Celebrity Cruises Passenger Air Lifted Home After Testing Positive For COVID

Another cruise line has confirmed that a passenger has tested positive for COVID-19. Reports surfaced Tuesday of the passenger aboard a Celebrity Cruises’ Alaskan cruise that was in Skagway, Alaska, on Tuesday and would return to Seattle.

The passenger, who was fully vaccinated against the virus, reported cold-like symptoms Sunday to medical personnel onboard the ship. The passenger then tested positive for COVID, according to a statement from Celebrity Cruises obtained by the Associated Press.

The passenger was isolated in the ship’s medical facility for monitoring and received “private air transportation back to the comforts of home, ensuring that our safety measures were maintained from door-to-door,” the cruise line said, as reported by the AP.

Celebrity Cruises also said that it performed contract tracing and tested all people in close contact with the passenger, who were all negative for COVID-19.

The passenger was on board a Celebrity Millennium cruise, which had stopped in Juneau, Alaska, on Monday, Robert Barr, deputy city manager of the Alaskan capital, told KTOO Public Media.

"I think that we were never expecting the cruise season to be entirely COVID free. Because even though the cruise ships are highly vaccinated, we again know that vaccines are not perfect, and that they will rely on herd immunity," Barr said.

According to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, 78% of the Juneau residents who are 12 and older are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. But it is possible to contract the virus after inoculation as the vaccines are not 100% effective against COVID in what is considered a breakthrough case.

Other cruise lines have had positive cases of the virus reported onboard ships since resuming operations in U.S. waters.

Royal Caribbean had two passengers under 16 test positive for COVID that were not vaccinated on a cruise to the Bahamas in late June, and another two passengers that were vaccinated test positive for the virus on a sailing to St. Maartan in early June.