Phnom Penh (FN), Feb. 16 – The Westerdam's operator said in a statement on Sunday that they are waiting for second test to confirm that an American passenger from a cruise ship docked in Cambodia has Covid-19 after tested positive in Malaysia.

"While the first results have been reported, they are preliminary at this point and we are awaiting secondary testing for confirmation," Holland America Inc. said in a statement.

It is worth recalling that the Malaysian authority issued a statement on 15 February 2020 that the American woman disembarking on Friday from Westadam cruise in Cambodia and flew to Malaysia has been confirmed infected with the new coronavirus.

Noor Hisham Abdullah, Malaysian Health Ministry director general, said in a statement that the 83-year-old American woman and her 85-year-old husband, also from the United States, were among 145 passengers who flew into Malaysia on Friday after disembarking Westerdam cruise docked in Cambodia, according to Kyodo’s report on 15 February 2020.

“Airport screening discovered the couple to have "symptoms," the statement said, adding they were sent to a hospital on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. A test for the virus now known as COVID-19 came back positive for her on Saturday. Her husband tested negative although he remains hospitalised for treatment of his symptoms and observation,” Kyodo wrote.

On Saturday, Cambodian authorities also called on Malaysia to review the test results, saying tests in Cambodia had been done in collaboration with the World Health Organisation and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Prior to the departure of the above individual and other passengers of Westerdam, Cambodia’s Ministry of Health has examined carefully by working with WHO and USCDC in compliances with International Health Regulations 2005 of WHO. Cambodia would like to request Malaysia to re-examine the test result,” according to Cambodian Health Ministry’s press release dated Saturday.
=FRESH NEWS