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A 77-year-old Oklahoma woman who tested positive for COVID-19 while on a cruise ship has died. Marilyn Tackett sailed out Galveston, Texas, on the Carnival Vista on July 31 and had to be hospitalized with respiratory complications in Belize.
She spent several days on a ventilator in Belize before being transported to a hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she eventually passed away.
According to KTRK, there was a COVID outbreak on the ship, which infected 26 crew members and one passenger. The outbreak was discovered on the fourth day of the eight-day cruise.
Carnival said that all crew members who tested positive were fully vaccinated. They showed mild or no symptoms and were immediately put into isolation.
The cruise line issued a statement clarifying that Tackett did not contract the virus while onboard the Vista.
"We are very sorry to hear about the death of a guest who sailed on Carnival Vista. Regrettably, there is a fair amount of disinformation about the circumstances of this matter. The guest almost certainly did not contract COVID on our ship, and she was assisted with expert medical care on board and was ultimately evacuated from Belize after we provided a resource to her family. We have continued to provide support to her family and are not going to add to their sadness by commenting further," Carnival said in a statement.
Carnival has also updated its coronavirus policies. Starting on Saturday (August 28), most passengers will have to provide proof they are fully vaccinated and provide a negative test for COVID-19 no more than 72 hours before the cruise ship departs. The cruise line also implemented a mandatory mask policy for all indoor areas of the ship.