U of M alum, ship singer contracted coronavirus
A University of Memphis alumnus has tested positive for the coronavirus, he shared in a Facebook post.
Luke Hefner was a singer performing aboard the Diamond Princess ship, he confirmed to Fox 13. He told the outlet that he tested positively for the virus and was rushed off the ship, which was docked in Japan, and into a hospital there on Feb. 18.
In a Facebook post, Hefner shared that he tested positive for the virus and was receiving treatment for “very mild” symptoms in Tokyo at the Kamata Medical Center.
“I’m being very well looked after by the medical staff...please know that I will be fine,” he wrote.
He told Fox 13 that he moved to Memphis in 2011 from Newport, east of Knoxville. He graduated from U of M in 2015 with a musical theater degree.
The ship was originally quarantined on Feb. 4 due to coronavirus. As of Tuesday morning, at least 542 people had tested positive for the virus, out of 3,711 quarantined passengers and crew, making the ship the site of the most infections outside of China.
Coronavirus (also known as COVID-19) is an exceptionally contagious virus that has infected about 77,000 people and killed about 2,200, mostly in the Chinese city of Wuhan. World Health officials have prioritized stopping the spread of the outbreak, but one of the largest exceptions to that containment is The Diamond Princess, a British ship with 2,600 passengers and more than 1,000 crew that left Japan on a 15-day cruise in January.
Two groups of American travelers who were stuck on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship due to a coronavirus quarantine recently disembarked. Both groups remain in limbo: One that’s under quarantine at two U.S. military bases and at a medical facility in Nebraska and another that’s still in Japan, prohibited from returning home for two weeks.
A Tennessee doctor with a friend in Congress was instrumental in bringing home hundreds of Americans who were stuck on the cruise ship, according to a new Washington Post report detailing the government decision to evacuate the ship.
Dr. Arnold Hopland remains quarantined in Japan with his wife, Jeanie, who has tested positive for coronavirus. The couple were passengers on the Diamond Princess.
While Hopland remains in Asia, his calls to Tennessee Rep. Phil Roe appear to be at least partially responsible for the decision to rescue other Americans from the ship. Hopland, who is friends with Roe, detailed the deteriorating conditions on the ship to the congressman, who then pushed the State Department to bring the travelers home.
In the end, Hopland’s details and Roe’s urging prompted officials to finally evacuate the ship, according to a deeply-sourced report by The Washington Post.
“That tipped the balance,” an unnamed senior administration official told the Post.
Public health experts have expressed alarm and disbelief at the chaotic response and lack of coordination by Princess Cruises, the Japanese government and U.S. officials. And passengers who were aboard the ship say communication has been lacking.
Hefner told Fox 13 that after his diagnosis, he had no way to contact family and friends for several days, until the cruise line recently provided him with a Japanese SIM card for his phone.
In Hefner’s post, he said that he had been corresponding with both the U.S. Embassy and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to learn about procedures for returning to the U.S.
Hefner could not be reached for comment Saturday.
Tennessean reporter Brett Kelman and USA Today Network reporters contributed.
Laura Testino covers education and children’s issues for the Commercial Appeal. Reach her at laura.testino@commercialappeal.com or 901512-3763. Find her on Twitter: @Ldtestino