Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Symptomless Covid-19 infection may be more prevalent than thought: Study

The prevalence of 'silent' symptomless Covid-19 infection may be much higher than thought, according to a study which assessed cruise ship passengers under isolation during the current pandemic.

Researchers, including those from Macquarie University in Australia, noted that the study offers the first analysis of complete Covid-19 testing of all passengers and crew on an isolated cruise ship during the Covid-19 pandemic.


According to the findings, published in the journal Thorax, more than four out of five of passengers and crew who tested positive for the infection had no symptoms.

Based on the results, the scientists believe that the prevalence of Covid-19 on affected cruise ships is likely to be significantly underestimated.

They said strategies are needed to assess and monitor all passengers to prevent community transmission after disembarkation.

The researchers also noted that there is a pressing need for accurate global data on how many people have been infected so far.

In the current study, they assessed the Covid-19 test results of 217 passengers and crew aboard an expedition cruise ship which departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, for a planned 21 day cruise of the Antarctic.

The scientists said the ship set sail in mid-March after the World Health Organization (WHO) had declared Covid-19 a global pandemic.

They said people who in the previous three weeks had passed through countries where Covid-19 infection rates were already high, were not allowed to board, adding that everyone's temperature was taken before embarkation.

To reduce chances of the passengers contracting the virus, the researchers said, hand sanitising stations were plentiful aboard the ship, particularly in the dining room.

However, of the 217 passengers and crew on board, 128 tested positive for Covid-19, the study noted.

Nearly a fifth of those who tested positive were symptomatic, the scientists said, adding that more than six per cent of the 128 passengers required medical evacuation.

They said about three per cent of those who showed symptoms were intubated and ventilated, and one person died.

One of the most important findings of the study, the researchers said was that the majority of Covid-19-positive patients, about 80 per cent, did not exhibit any symptoms.

The first case of fever, according to the study, was reported on day 8, prompting the immediate adoption of infection control measures.

This included confining passengers to their cabins, stopping daily servicing, apart from the delivery of meals, and the wearing of personal protective equipment for any crew member in contact with sick passengers, they said.

Since Argentina had closed its borders, the study said the ship sailed to Uruguay, arriving on day 13.

At this point, the scientists said eight passengers and crew eventually required medical evacuation to hospital for respiratory failure.

On day 20, all the remaining 217 passengers and crew were swab tested for coronavirus with more than half of them testing positive, the study noted.

In 10 instances, two passengers sharing the same cabin didn't have the same test result, the researchers said.

This could be because the current swab test returns a substantial number of false negative results, the authors noted in the study.

Of those testing positive, they said, 24 had symptoms, but 108 didn't.

According to the authors of the study, the prevalence of Covid-19 infection on cruise ships is likely to be "significantly underestimated."

Based on the potentially high rate of false negative results obtained with the current swab tests, they suggested that secondary testing is warranted.

The researchers believe that the WHO figure of one per cent for the number of Covid positive patients who have no symptoms falls far short of that found on the cruise ship.

However, whether or not those who have been infected are immune is yet to be determined, the scientists said, adding that there is a pressing need for accurate global data on the total number of infected people.

More For You

World Curry Festival 2025

The discovery coincides with Bradford’s City of Culture celebrations

World Curry Festival

Bradford’s first curry house traced back to 1942 ahead of World Curry Festival

Highlights:

  • Research for the World Curry Festival uncovered evidence of a curry house in Bradford in 1942.
  • Cafe Nasim, later called The Bengal Restaurant, is thought to be the city’s first.
  • The discovery coincides with Bradford’s City of Culture celebrations.
  • Festival events will include theatre, lectures, and a street food market.

Historic discovery in Bradford’s food heritage

Bradford’s claim as the curry capital of Britain has gained new historical depth. Organisers of the World Curry Festival have uncovered evidence that the city’s first curry house opened in 1942.

Documents revealed that Cafe Nasim, later renamed The Bengal Restaurant, once stood on the site of the current Kashmir Restaurant on Morley Street. Researcher David Pendleton identified an advert for the cafe in the Yorkshire Observer dated December 1942, describing it as “Bradford’s First Indian Restaurant”.

Keep ReadingShow less
​Dilemmas of dating in a digital world

We are living faster than ever before

AMG

​Dilemmas of dating in a digital world

Shiveena Haque

Finding romance today feels like trying to align stars in a night sky that refuses to stay still

When was the last time you stumbled into a conversation that made your heart skip? Or exchanged a sweet beginning to a love story - organically, without the buffer of screens, swipes, or curated profiles? In 2025, those moments feel rarer, swallowed up by the quickening pace of life.

Keep ReadingShow less
sugary drinks and ice cream

Researchers from the UK and US analysed data from American households between 2004 and 2019

iStock

Global warming may drive higher consumption of sugary drinks and ice cream, study warns

Highlights:

  • Hotter days linked to greater intake of sugary drinks and frozen desserts
  • Lower-income households most affected, research finds
  • Climate change could worsen health risks linked to sugar consumption
  • Study based on 15 years of US household food purchasing data

Sugary consumption rising with heat

People are more likely to consume sugary drinks and ice cream on warmer days, particularly in lower-income households, according to new research. The study warns that climate change could intensify this trend, adding to health risks as global temperatures continue to rise.

Sugar consumption is a major contributor to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, and has surged worldwide in recent decades. The findings, published in Nature Climate Change, suggest that rising heat could be nudging more people towards high-sugar products such as soda, juice and ice cream.

Keep ReadingShow less
Camellia Panjabi's cookbook elevates
vegetables from sides to stars

Camellia Panjabi (Photo: Ursula Sierek)

Camellia Panjabi's cookbook elevates vegetables from sides to stars

RESTAURATEUR and writer Camellia Panjabi puts the spotlight on vegetables in her new book, as she said they were never given the status of a “hero” in the way fish, chicken or prawns are.

Panjabi’s Vegetables: The Indian Way features more than 120 recipes, with notes on nutrition, Ayurvedic insights and cooking methods that support digestion.

Keep ReadingShow less
Spotting the signs of dementia

Priya Mulji with her father

Spotting the signs of dementia

How noticing the changes in my father taught me the importance of early action, patience, and love

I don’t understand people who don’t talk or see their parents often. Unless they have done something to ruin your lives or you had a traumatic childhood, there is no reason you shouldn’t be checking in with them at least every few days if you don’t live with them.

Keep ReadingShow less