Two weeks after the return of the coronavirus-stricken Zaandam cruise ship, a “small quantity” of its Canadian passengers stay in hospital in Florida, in keeping with International Affairs Canada. It declined to supply a exact quantity.
The passengers embody Geoffrey Vaughan’s father-in-law, who’s alone in a hospital simply outdoors Fort Lauderdale, battling COVID-19.
“My father-in-law has had some tough days; he is had most likely a fairly extreme case of COVID-19,” stated Vaughan, who lives in Bowmanville, Ont. “Hopefully he can experience it out and proceed to get higher.”
Vaughan requested that his father-in-law’s title stay confidential, although CBC has confirmed he was on the Holland America-owned ship and is at the moment being handled in a Florida hospital.
His father-in-law has been identified with pneumonia and is at the moment on oxygen, stated Vaughan, however the household anticipates a full restoration.
He is additionally alone, as his spouse, who was travelling with him, was despatched again to Canada shortly after the ship docked.
“We wish him dwelling as shortly as attainable,” stated Vaughan.
Vaughan stated his father-in-law, who additionally lives in Bowmanville, was rushed to hospital shortly after the Zaandam and its sister ship, the MS Rotterdam, arrived in Fort Lauderdale on April 2.
A complete of 247 Canadian passengers had been travelling on the Zaandam final month when the ill-fated cruise was caught up in a wave of uncertainty as world issues over COVID-19 grew.
eight passengers useless: ‘unofficial’ record
On March 7, 1,243 passengers boarded the MS Zaandam to set sail on a South American cruise — simply days earlier than the World Well being Group declared COVID-19 a pandemic.
The ship was then hit with an outbreak of the virus in late March and struggled to safe a direct place to dock, as international locations closed their borders in a bid to cease the unfold of the sickness attributable to the novel coronavirus.
Holland America has stated 4 passengers died on board the Zaandam, and a crew member died shortly after arriving in Florida.
However Florida’s Broward County health worker Craig Mallak shared what he known as an “unofficial record” with CBC Information, compiled by considered one of his investigators, that signifies whole of eight folks from the cruise have now died. Seven of the fatalities examined optimistic for COVID-19.
Holland America would not verify the up to date demise depend, citing privateness causes.
Most passengers had been capable of return dwelling inside days after the Zaandam and the Rotterdam docked at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale on April 2.
Nevertheless, 10 critically unwell passengers had been rushed to a neighborhood hospital for fast care and one other 45 who had been unwell remained on board till they had been cleared for journey.
Vaughan stated his father-in-law fell unwell shortly after he and his spouse had been transferred to the Rotterdam, together with many different passengers, in the course of the closing days of the cruise, a transfer geared toward lightening the burden for the unique crew.
Resulting from declining well being, his father-in-law was transferred to the hospital a pair days after docking, whereas his spouse remained on the ship.
“It was fairly heart-wrenching as a result of … they needed to be separated,” stated Vaughan.
How will he get dwelling?
A couple of days later, Holland America organized a chartered flight dwelling for his 70-year-old mother-in-law and different remaining passengers. She was distraught over having to depart, Vaughan stated, however was given no selection as Florida wished the passengers to return dwelling as quickly as attainable.
“You may think about the setting of my mother-in-law having to depart her partner behind overseas,” he stated.
The household’s primary concern now’s how his father-in-law will get dwelling as soon as he recovers and is launched from the hospital.
“The query is that if he’ll be capable to fly dwelling or not, [or] if he’ll be stranded in a Florida resort underneath quarantine with nobody to take care of him,” stated Vaughan, noting that his father-in-law’s insurance coverage ought to cowl any medical prices.
Holland America advised CBC Information it would proceed to take care of its sick former passengers and make preparations for them to return dwelling.
A lot of the Zaandam’s Canadian passengers flew dwelling on April three and are actually nearing the top of their necessary two-week self-quarantine after returning to Canada.
David Kirkham, of Victoria, who had travelled on the Zaandam together with his spouse, stated the federal authorities has organized for a nurse to name the couple twice a day to examine in.
“They ask the identical questions — it is form of an inventory of all of the signs: ‘Do you may have fever? Do you may have sweating?'” he stated. “It is nice that they do the checks.”
Kirkham stated he is relieved to lastly be dwelling and in good well being after the almost month-long ordeal. “We closed the ebook. That was our closing chapter and now we’re simply going to maneuver on.”
Vaughan, in the meantime, continues to observe his father in-law’s well being from Canada.
“The precedence is getting him dwelling,” he stated.
International Affairs stated Thursday it continues to observe 34 Canadian passengers and crew members on 4 cruise ships.
Whereas cruise firms suspended operations in mid-March, some ships have struggled to discover a place to dock to permit passengers to disembark and return dwelling.