Increase in COVID cases on cruise ships - CDC

Director of  the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Dr. Rochelle Walensky, yesterday told a Senate hearing that cruise ships have seen a 30-fold increase in Covid-19 cases over two weeks due to the highly contagious omicron variant.

The stark increase in cases comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned against cruise ship travel, regardless of  passengers' vaccination status.

In the first two weeks of  December, 162 cases were reported aboard vessels. 

But as cases continued to mount across the globe, cruise lines disclosed more outbreaks. 

Ships operating in U.S. waters reported about 5,000 Covid cases to the CDC from December 15 to 29.