The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found the coronavirus survived more than two weeks on surfaces in a cruise ship after passengers left.
A report issued Monday said novel coronavirus RNA, the genetic substance of the virus, was present on the Grand Princess cruise ship docked in California, indicating the virus’s lifespan is longer than previously estimated.
“SARS-CoV-2 RNA was identified on a variety of surfaces in cabins of both symptomatic and asymptomatic infected passengers up to 17 days after cabins were vacated on the Diamond Princess but before disinfection procedures had been conducted,” the CDC report said. “Although these data cannot be used to determine whether transmission occurred from contaminated surfaces, further study of fomite transmission of SARS-CoV-2 aboard cruise ships is warranted.”
The CDC said it is presently unclear whether passengers contracted the virus by touching the surfaces with traces of coronavirus RNA. The report also said statistical models indicate that nearly 18% of infected passengers were asymptomatic, which may have led to the inadvertent COVID-19 virus spread.
The Grand Princess cruise ship, which left San Francisco with roughly 3,500 passengers and crew, was headed to Hawaii, but the voyage was nixed after people began exhibiting symptoms of the coronavirus. After remaining out at sea for several days, it docked in Oakland on March 9. Twenty-one passengers tested positive for the COVID-19 virus by the time the ship arrived.
Hundreds of passengers were transported to military bases, where they were held in quarantine for two weeks. Officials say some of the passengers refused to get tested for the coronavirus while in quarantine, which has complicated efforts to ascertain just how many people did contract the virus.
As of March 17, the novel coronavirus was detected on approximately 25 cruise ships either during or after their voyages.
