WHO: 6 Filipinos aboard Grand Princess cruise ship reportedly test positive for COVID-19

FILE – In this Feb. 11, 2020, file photo, the Grand Princess cruise ship passes the Golden Gate Bridge as it arrives from Hawaii in San Francisco. Scrambling to keep the coronavirus at bay, officials ordered the cruise ship to hold off the California coast Thursday, March 5, to await testing of those aboard, after a passenger on an earlier voyage died and at least one other became infected. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, File)

MANILA, Philippines — The World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday said it is verifying reports that six Filipino crewmen of the Grand Princess now anchored off California, in the United States, have tested positive for the deadly coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, WHO Representative in the Philippines, said 46 people aboard the quarantined cruise ship, have been tested for COVID-19.

Of the 46 tested, 21 are crew members while two are passengers of the cruise ship. Of those tested, six are Filipinos.

“I understand there are six Filipinos, these are unconfirmed reports, among the positive, six of them are Filipino crew members,” he said during the press conference at the Department of Health’s main office in Manila.

The foreign affairs department previously confirmed that there are 518 Filipinos among the crew members of the Grand Princess.

The cruise ship has 3,533 people on board, of which, 2,422 are guests and 1,111 are crew members.

Edited by MUF