A 76-year-old Californian man who died from coronavirus complications after travelling on the Ruby Princess has become the first confirmed international fatality from the stricken cruise ship.
Key points:
Nineteen Ruby Princess passengers in Australia have died from COVID-19
More than 600 Australians have the virus after travelling on the cruise
The number of infections among the ship’s 900 international passengers is unknown, but ABC News has traced at least 35 confirmed cases
Steven Lazarus had been on a ventilator for two weeks before he died April 9 after developing COVID-19 symptoms on his return to the United States.
“He was the rock of our family, someone who I relied on for advice and who never steered me wrong,” his son, Michael, wrote in a social media tribute.
Mr Lazarus’s wife, Elissa, also travelled on the cruise ship and tested positive, but has not shown symptoms.
It’s understood up to 900 of the 2,700 Ruby Princess passengers were from overseas.
The ship cut short its cruise around New Zealand and returned to Circular Quay on March 19, where passengers were allowed to disembark despite more than a dozen people on board showing symptoms of, and being tested for, coronavirus.
In Australia, about 600 cases and 19 deaths have been linked to the ship, but the total number of infections among international passengers remains a mystery.
ABC News has traced at least 35 confirmed COVID-19 international cases linked to the ship.
