TORONTO -- Twenty-one people trapped on a cruise ship off the coast of California have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, and hundreds of Canadians are among those waiting to undergo testing.
U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence announced Friday that 19 of the 21 positive cases involve crew members, but testing is still in its early phases. Only 46 of the more than 3,500 people on board the Grand Princess ship near San Franscisco were tested in the first round, but there are plans to test everyone onboard.
There are more than 230 Canadians on the ship, which will remain on lockdown as the tests take place.
Mike Zrobin, a Canadian aboard the ship, said passengers have been ordered to stay in their rooms.
“We can’t walk the halls, all the shows have been cancelled, we can’t go to the formal dining rooms or any of the other dining facilities on board,” he said.
A passenger on one of the ship’s previous voyages died of COVID-19 in February, which prompted health officials to investigate whether the virus has been circulating on the ship.
But cases from the ship have already made their way to Canada. Of Canada’s 54 confirmed or presumptive cases, three have come from passengers who were on the same ship from Feb. 11 to Feb. 21.
Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said seven people are in hospital with the virus, but that most cases are mild and patients are self-isolating at home.
"We've been having these plans, we've rehearsed them, we've been through a previous pandemic, we've been through co-ordination for Ebola response, for example. So each individual player in the federal and provincial system knows how those co-ordination mechanisms work," Tam said Friday.
On Thursday, officials in B.C. identified the country’s first community case involving a woman who did not travel recently or have any known contact with anyone with the virus.
With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press
