Why the U.S. should facilitate the distribution of vaccines to cruise ports in the Caribbean and Central 

America

By way of successful vaccination campaigns and physiologic immunity, the U.S. continues to decrease

the chance of domestic COVID-19 transmission; and, over time, the cruise industry will increase its 

sailings with more vaccinated passengers from the U.S. Nevertheless, COVID-19 remains uncontrolled in 

many parts of the world and poses a significant risk to both guests and crew on ships sailing to U.S. 

ports. This is a salient point as the cruise industry leans forward and considers the next set of solutions

to protect passengers and crew members with U.S. itineraries.

While a vessel is in port, passengers become a mobile, land-based cohort interacting with many diverse 

communities and populations. Ports-of-call usually have a very vibrant and interactive culture that lends 

itself to social mixing within densely populated areas. Most likely, these communities and populations

will not have the same level of immunity, nor testing and vaccination resources as within the U.S. We 

are all aware COVID-19 variants exist around the world. When COVID-19 is left uncontrolled in these 

port cities, with high levels of person-to-person interaction, the potential for a more resistant, highly 

infectious, and potentially dangerous variant (or even a novel strain) to develop and be transmitted to 

our U.S.-based travelers, increases. It also poses a risk for these same U.S.-based travelers to return to 

their home states and communities and continue to spread a new variant or novel strain. 

The variables explained above create a unique dynamic very specific to cruise industry ports-of-call. A 

focused initiative to increase resources that protect these communities and populations, as well as

greatly reduced risk of COVID transmission to the onboard guests and crew, may be warranted. I am 

convinced that these port communities are one of the remaining, critical variables in the service industry 

that should be addressed to protect all Americans.

An exploration of how the U.S. might help vaccinate these non-U.S. port cities reveals that vaccination 

campaigns are possible, however, with nuances. Government to government programs exist. Currently, 

the COVAX initiative is the driving force in terms of global partnering for vaccinations. Although an 

admirable collaboration for equitable distribution of vaccines, it currently has supply challenges and it 

cannot consider the unique dynamics of certain locations, like non-U.S. port cities, nor should it when 

the concern is U.S. based. Non-governmental organizations could also be utilized in some of these 

countries, however, they are not resourced or experienced in the mass testing and vaccination efforts 

that have been implemented across the U.S. Vaccination campaigns can also be implemented by the 

host country (with popular ports-of-call communities), however there is limited access to vaccines in 

some of these locations and there is no guarantee that it will be done effectively or efficiently.

Collaboration between the U.S. and countries with ports that are frequented by U.S. passengers could 

be facilitated in part by the U.S. to protect its citizens in these areas of higher risk. Consider this 

analogous to the concept of defense-in-depth, which provides for multiple, redundant layers of 

protection. U.S. collaboration and facilitation of this additional layer of protection would acknowledge 

that zero risk is not realistic but, much like defense-in-depth, slowing the threat of transmission (through 

vaccination initiatives in port cities) until the virus is less of a danger, is the most effective way to protect 

our citizens.
By providing vaccines to specific countries and facilitating its administration, the U.S. can play a primary 

role in supporting these partnerships to quickly vaccinate a large population (port-based) such as the 

Bahamas or other locations in the Caribbean, Mexico, and others frequented by cruise line passengers

from the U.S.

As Fact Finding Officer, I have observed successful state and county testing and vaccination programs in 

the U.S. The successful solutions appear scalable to quickly achieve the target number of vaccinations 

desired and agile enough to adjust to the changes in vaccine supply and logistics. With increased vaccine 

access provided in part by the U.S., a viable and effective program to vaccinate non-U.S. ports and 

communities might be established in a relatively short period of time. This could potentially prevent the 

transmission of global COVID-19 variants or strains into the U.S. This would be at a fraction of the cost 

for care and treatment of COVID-19 positive patients if this prevention measure were not considered.