2 people tested positive for COVID-19 on a cruise ship which operators boasted was 95% vaccinated

• Two passengers on the Celebrity Millennium cruise ship tested positive for coronavirus.
• The operator said before launch that at least 95% of passengers would be vaccinated.
• The passengers are asymptomatic and isolated from others, the operator said.
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Two people on a cruise ship tested positive for COVID-19, even after operators said it would only sail with at least 95% of people on board vaccinated.

The Royal Caribbean Group said in a statement on Thursday that two passengers sharing a room on the Celebrity Millennium ship tested positive during “required end-of-cruise testing.”

It said: “The individuals are asymptomatic and currently in isolation and being monitored by our medical team. We are conducting contact tracing, expediting testing for all close contacts and closely monitoring the situation.”

Celebrity Cruises, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group, said when the ship launched on June 5 that it would travel with “a vaccinated crew and at least 95% vaccinated guests.”

It is not clear whether the passengers who tested positive had been vaccinated. It is possible, though rare, to contract COVID-19 even after vaccination.

In a Thursday statement, the Royal Caribbean Group said: “Celebrity Millennium is sailing with fully vaccinated crew and guests and following comprehensive protocols that align with our destination partners and exceed CDC guidelines to protect the health and safety of our guests.”