A Carnival Cruise Line passenger died after contracting Covid-19, the company confirmed Tuesday. It is the first reported death since cruises resumed in June in the Caribbean and United States.
According to the cruise liner, the victim was traveling on a Carnival Vista ship that departed from Galveston, Texas, on July 31 for Belize.
The passenger received medical care on the ship and was later evacuated from Belize, the company said, adding that the passenger "almost certainly did not contract" the coronavirus on the ship.
"We are very sorry to hear about the death of a guest who sailed on Carnival Vista," Carnival said in a statement. "We have continued to provide support to her family and are not going to add to their sadness by commenting further."
The Belize Tourism Board said after becoming ill, the passenger was allowed to disembark the ship to receive urgent care in the country. The passenger was evacuated back to the United States via air ambulance, the board said in a press release.
The passenger's family could not immediately be reached on Tuesday. According to The New York Times, the passenger was a 77-year-old woman from Oklahoma who died on Aug. 14.
News of the death comes weeks after it was reported that 27 people aboard the ship had contracted Covid-19. The Belize Tourism Board said after the Carnival Vista arrived in the country, the ship reported that 26 crew members and one passenger had tested positive for the virus. All of the people infected had been vaccinated, the board said in a press release.
The ship was carrying nearly 3,000 guests and 1,441 crew when it arrived in Belize.
Texas is one of several states that bans businesses from requiring a "vaccine passport", or proof a person has been vaccinated. Carnival said Tuesday that since it started sailing again in July, more than 95 percent of guests have been vaccinated.
The cruise liner recently updated its Covid-19 policy and implemented a mask mandate on Aug. 7 for passengers in elevators and in designated indoor entertainment areas, retail shops and in the casino. It also began requiring that fully vaccinated guests provide a negative coronavirus test prior to boarding.