Crew aboard the Diamond Princess were impacted by the spread of coronavirus while the ship was quarantined in Japan, according to a new study.
“Because the first detected cases occurred among passengers who became symptomatic on January 22 and 23, COVID-19 was likely transmitted first from passengers to crew members and subsequently spread among the crew, especially among food service workers,” the study said.
The first case for a crew member occurred in a food service worker who developed fever on February 2.
By February 9, a total of 20 cases among crew members had been laboratory-confirmed, including three in those who reported close contact with other crew members with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 before implementation of quarantine.
The crew dining area was identified as the primary area of congregation for the crew, according to the study.
The earliest cases in crew members occurred in food service workers; 15 of the 20 confirmed cases in crew occurred among food service workers who prepared food for other crew, and 16 of the 20 cases occurred among persons with cabins on deck 3.
