Argentina is presently care with a mysterious Covid-19 irruption onboard a ship that ’s been out at ocean for over 35 solar day . Considering all the sailors screen negative and self - quarantined before they set sail , no one is quite sure how the virus amount alongside and infected dozens of crewmembers .
At least 57 out of 61 people onboard the Etchizen Maru fishingtrawlerhave try positive for Covid-19 , agree tolocal wellness authoritiesin Argentina ’s southernmost state of Tierra del Fuego in Patagonia . Two of the crew have tested negative , while the remain two are still expect ratification of their results .
The eruption wasfirst confirmedon Saturday night after seven people onboard try out positive for the computer virus . At the time , the health ministry say the crew had been on the high seas for 35 years and had no contact with the external world since setting sheet .
Most queerly , all of the crew tested disconfirming and self - isolated for two weeks before boarding the ship . This , in theory , would have in mind the chances of Covid-19 being introduced to the ship and its crew were slight - to - none .
" The crowd of the ship had 14 days of isolation in a hotel in Ushuaia , during which we believe they had no tangency with mass from the city and then they were sail for 35 days , ” Leandro Ballatore , the top dog of Infectology of the Ushuaia Regional Hospital and member of the provincial Emergency Operating Committee , said in astatement .
“ Even before issue forth to the province , they had a swab in Buenos Aires due to the policy of the party that make for them in and the result was negative . In plus , during the period they were here , we had no cases circulating in the province , for which we believe that there is no link with the universe of Ushuaia , ” he added .
One of the patients was transfer to the Ushuaia Regional Hospital in the capital of Tierra del Fuego on Sunday , while another was admit on Monday because the somebody was considered at - risk . The rest stay quarantined on the ship and are receiving aid from the local province .
An investigating is now being launch to see how Covid-19 emerge on the ship , although there are no obvious clue as the ship followed all the necessary precautions . One of the most reasonable explanation is that at least one of the crewmembers ’ tests provided a faux negative result in Buenos Aires . The virus could have then tardily spread around the work party during their self - closing off without citizenry expose clear symptoms before some of the bunch displayed symptoms once the ship had left the docks . This , however , remain bare surmise .
" It is a case that escapes all the verbal description that appears in the publication because such a long incubation point is not draw anywhere , " Ballatore explained .
" We are focusing on the rest of the crew to determine if there are any other cases that have symptomless disease . There is much to value and we are take on the first steps , because this requires a backward analysis , we will even reexamine the medical record script until March to measure all the events that were record and understand the billet more , " cover Ballatore .
