"Of the 15 people whose swab samples were taken, 14 tested positive for COVID-19," Tjetjep Yudiana, a spokesman for Riau Islands Province's Task Force for COVID-19 Response, stated here on Friday.
Rapid tests earlier conducted on MV Kelud's crew during a stopover in Batam showed signs of 40 crew members being potentially infected with the novel coronavirus.
Of the 40 people, 39 were categorized as people under monitoring (ODP) and sent to the Galang Emergency Hospital, Batam, for treatment, while one was treated as a patient under surveillance (PDP) at the Batam Authority Hospital.
MV Kelud had set sail from Tanjung Priok, Jakarta, to Belawan Harbor in North Sumatra on April 12, 2020, with 121 passengers and crew members aboard.
Of the 111 passengers, 31 disembarked at the Batu Ampar Port in Batam, 44 got off at the Tanjung Balai Karimun Port in Riau Islands, and 36 debarked at Belawan Harbor, North Sumatra.
When the ship docked at the Batu Ampar Harbor, a crew member began exhibiting symptoms similar to COVID-19, so the other crew were then subject to inspection.
A total of 83 crew members, considered to be healthy, were quarantined on board.
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Translator: Nikolas P, Fardah
Editor: Suharto
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