A 77-year-old Oklahoma woman, who was among 27 fully vaccinated passengers to test positive for COVID-19 aboard a Carnival cruise earlier this month, died last week from respiratory complications.
Marilyn Tackett died August 14 after testing positive on the Carnival Vista ship days after it made a stop in Belize City.
Tackett, who was a retired Sunday school teacher, departed Galveston, Texas aboard the cruise ship on July 31.
On August 4. Tackett was diagnosed with COVID-19, just one day after she went on an excursion in Roatán, when the ship docked at the island about 40 miles off the northern coast of Honduras.
Marilyn Tackett, 77, (pictured) passed away on August 14 after testing positive for the virus onboard the Carnival Vista cruise ship days after it made a stop in Belize City
Tackett was among 27 passengers to test positive for the virus aboard the Carnival Vista cruise ship carrying over 1,400 crew and nearly 3,000 passengers
When the ship arrived in Belize the next day, Tackett decided to forgo an excursion in the country with her family members.
When Tackett's family returned, she was having difficulty breathing.
Her family immediately called the ship’s medical personnel, who administered a COVID test that came back positive, the Amandala of Belize reported.
According to a GoFundMe page created by Tackett's family, the 77-year-old was admitted to a hospital in Belize and put on a ventilator.
Her condition worsened and she was taken to a hospital in Tulsa where she was treated but eventually died.
The cruise was her first trip outside the U.S.
'We just wanted to get on here and thank all of you for your support, love and prayers. Memaw fought as long as she could. To know she's reunited with lost loved ones and that she's basking in The Lord's presence now is a huge comfort,' Tara Cameron, one of Tackett's grandchildren wrote on the page.
'We'll continue to walk in Faith like she taught us and try to spread love and kindness like she did.'
A request for comment from DailyMail.com to Tackett's family wasn't immediately answered.
The ship departed from its port in Galveston, Texas, before arrival in Belize on Wednesday
The ship was carrying 1,300 crew members and 3,000 passengers, all who had to provide negative COVID-19 test results to board and re-enter the ship
Passengers aboard the ship, which sailed from Galveston, Texas, were asked to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test for the port call when they disembarked in Belize. Those without proof were subject to 'random testing' by Belize's Ministry of Health and Wellness.
Tackett was among 27 passengers to test positive for the virus aboard the Carnival Vista cruise ship carrying more than 1,400 crew and nearly 3,000 passengers.
While the cruise line did not test vaccinated passengers before they embarked for the cruise, Carnival said it is 'highly unlikely' Tackett contracted the virus while onboard the ship.
'The guest almost certainly did not contract COVID on our ship, and she was
