Oklahoma woman dies after testing positive for COVID-19 aboard Carnival cruise ship

A 77-year-old woman who took a cruise ship out of Texas died after testing positive for COVID-19 during her trip, according to her family.

Marilyn Tackett departed Galveston aboard the Carnival Vista cruise line, “so excited to take her first trip outside the US,” her granddaughter wrote on a GoFundMe page.

Within days, she got sick and was diagnosed with COVID in Belize, her granddaughter said.

Tackett was hospitalized and put on a ventilator, then evacuated home to Tulsa.

On Aug. 14, she died.

Marilyn Tackett
Marilyn Tackett (GoFundMe)

“Memaw fought as long as she could. To know she’s reunited with lost loved ones and that she’s basking in The Lord’s presence now is a huge comfort,” her family wrote.

“We’ll always miss and love her and continue to keep her legacy alive. We’ll continue to walk in Faith like she taught us and try to spread love and kindness like she did.”

In a statement to the Daily News, Carnival said Tackett “almost certainly did not contract COVID on our ship,” and blasted the “disinformation about the circumstances of this matter.”

“She was assisted with expert medical care on board and was ultimately evacuated from Belize after we provided a resource to her family,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “We have continued to provide support to her family and are not going to add to their sadness by commenting further.”

Between late July and early August, 27 people aboard the Carnival Vista tested positive for COVID-19, according to the New York Times. Of those, 26 were crew members.

Carnival told The News that it has gone over the CDC guidelines and require vaccinated guests to present both proof of vaccination and a negative COVID test at check-in.

“Unfortunately, no venue on land or at sea is COVID-free right now, but we are committed to protecting the health and safety of our guests, crew and the communities we visit and have not hesitated to act quickly and go beyond existing public health guidelines,” the company said.

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