Which Virus Is Often Referred to as the Cruise Ship Virus?

By Alice Nichols

The virus that is often referred to as the Cruise Ship Virus is officially known as SARS-CoV-2, which stands for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2. It is a virus that causes the respiratory illness Covid-19, which has been ravaging countries around the world since it was first identified in Wuhan, China in December 2019.

SARS-CoV-2 belongs to a family of viruses known as coronaviruses, which are common in humans and other mammals. This particular virus is believed to have originated in bats and spread to humans through contact with an infected animal. The virus then spread rapidly from person to person leading to a global pandemic.

The nickname “Cruise Ship Virus” is due to one of the first significant outbreaks of Covid-19 occurring on a cruise ship off the coast of Japan in February 2020. The outbreak on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship led to nearly 700 people becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2, highlighting how easily it can be transmitted in enclosed spaces such as ships and airplanes.

The spread of SARS-CoV-2 has had devastating effects on economies and societies around the world, with businesses closing, people losing their jobs and entire countries going into lockdown. It has been estimated that over 2 million people have died from Covid-19 since the start of 2020 and there is still no vaccine or treatment available for the disease.

In order to prevent further spread of SARS-CoV-2 governments have implemented various measures including travel bans, social distancing rules and mask wearing mandates. These measures have helped slow down transmission rates but it has come at a cost both economically and socially.

Conclusion:
So far there have been over 100 million cases of Covid-19 worldwide since it was first identified at the end of 2019 and it has been estimated that over 2 million people have died from the disease so far. The virus that causes this illness is known as SARS-CoV-2 but it is often referred to as the Cruise Ship Virus due its connection with one of its earliest major outbreaks occurring on board a cruise ship off Japan in 2020.