Diamond Princess passenger "tested positive for Wuhan coronavirus"

[dog]

CNN just reported testing of all left on-board starts Feb 19 th & could take a few more days to complete ie: Feb 21 st. 
Also, those US citizens taking State Dept flight will be tested before getting on plane. If they test positive they will go to Japanese hospital. 

Quarantine will continue in US for another 14 days. 

[Wildblue]

Oh, man.  Having sailed on the Diamond only a year ago, I'm particularly saddened to have watched this story unfold.  And that more and more passengers fall sick.  It seems like quarantining everybody onboard has had the side effect of infecting other healthy passengers (and I assume crew) onboard.  Continuing to watch this story.

[dog]

6 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

I understand that the US citizens previously evacuated from Wuhan had to pay $1,100 each for the flight. It is likely that those who chose to be evacuated from the Diamond Princess will also have to pay for the flight. Their alternative is to stay on the ship until they are released to take up Princess' offer of a free flight home.

Can you post your source re: cost to passengers?  I cannot find anything on this point. 

Edited February 15, 2020 by dog

[FrankNJ]

Very sorry to hear of all these suffering cruisers . I hope no one dies .

We always loved cruising but have given it up a few years ago due to these ships being germ factories and often filled with passengers who ignore the rules and pretend not to be sick when they board .  Really came to hate being coughed on in a confined environment .   The shared air systems don't help either .  

 

Again , so sorry to hear of the suffering .  Diamond Princess is now the largest outbreak of this virus outside of China . 

[Psoque]

21 minutes ago, Earthworm Jim said:

 

Is it though? It has the positive effect of getting them off the ship and back to the US. But they thought they'd be done the 19th. Now they'll be quarantined until sometime in early March.

 

We've questioned whether the quarantine on the ship is 100% effective, but Japan, a modern country by anyone's definition, apparently feels it is good enough that after the 19th those passengers will be released to presumably go anywhere in Japan they want to. Why is the US not accepting that? One of the two countries is wrong. It's either safe to let them be exposed to the general public on February 19th, or it's not.

 

Unless come February 19th Japan announces some further quarantine of course, which wouldn't shock any of us.

 

Or unless you meant it was good news from a world health perspective, rather than a ship passenger perspective.

I also feel very mixed about this decision to evacuate "some" US citizens from the ship.  Part of me thinks "good, now they get to go home!"  But then I realize that they are not really going "home."  They will fly to a base in California where they will be quarantined there or elsewhere for at least 14 more days.  I don't think they will be able to meet their families and friends in person during the quarantine, or even see their homes in person.  I really feel for them, and the rest of those quarantined on the ship currently.

 

And it is a very distinct possibility that some of these in quarantine will develop the disease or test positive for it during that 14 days.  If they are not in absolute isolation from each other, that would potentially re-set the clock.

 

I don't want to sound so pessimistic here, but I'm afraid that is the reality, and if you think about it, the evacuation will not change the reality that much for anyone, except that it might help the Japanese government and WHO manage the situation easier with a decreased head count.  During the quarantine, I would think that the US evacuees will continues to be at a high risk of becoming symptomatic from and/or turning test positive for the coronavirus.

 

I also hope that CDC will not just ditch Diamond Princess.  I'm assuming that CDC has been working together with the Japanese Health Ministry and WHO on this so far, and even after the evacuation, they should be part of the operation since this is an international situation, not just a Japanese situation.  If CDC ditches the ship after the evacuation, that would make US look very selfish.  That would be somewhat equivalent to Japanese government evacuating Japanese citizens only and sending the ship away from Japanese waters, a ludicrous scenario that never occurred, but one that I brought up to prove a point earlier.

 

Also, I hope people don't make this a "Japan vs. US" issue.  Japan was not keeping these US citizens (or for that matter citizens of any other country) from being repatriated.  They were (and are ) in quarantine, in accordance and with the blessing of both WHO and CDC, and if the US government wanted to evacuate them, in accordance with the WHO and CDC guidelines, they could have...they chose not to do this until this time.  Only issue the Japanese government/WHO/and CDC had was that a mass transit of potentially infected people through Yokohama/Tokyo and the commercial air service.  I am not sure exactly how the evacuation of US citizens will occur, but I would think they have to do this very carefully.  And now that Japan has agreed to facilitate this evacuation, which would definitely require use of Japanese resources (ambulances, etc. to transport the evacuees to an airport somewhere), they are now somewhat obligated to provide that assistance to other countries represented among the passengers/crew.  I would think this would be a great challenge to everyone involved.

 

 

[Psoque]

17 minutes ago, Wildblue said:

Oh, man.  Having sailed on the Diamond only a year ago, I'm particularly saddened to have watched this story unfold.  And that more and more passengers fall sick.  It seems like quarantining everybody onboard has had the side effect of infecting other healthy passengers (and I assume crew) onboard.  Continuing to watch this story.

We still don't know for sure if those who became ill and/or tested positive during the quarantine were exposed to and infected by the virus during the quarantine and/or because of the quarantine.  I think your statement is a bit premature at best.

[Wildblue]

3 minutes ago, Psoque said:

We still don't know for sure if those who became ill and/or tested positive during the quarantine were exposed to and infected by the virus during the quarantine and/or because of the quarantine.  I think your statement is a bit premature at best.

Agreed that it's speculation what the source is for any given person that's sick.  But certainly, being confined on a ship with thousands of people, hundreds of which are sick, with transmissions happening multiple times a day, such as the delivery of food, increases the risk of disease transmissions.  No stateroom cabin is a CDC-approved isolation facility.

[Psoque]

7 minutes ago, Wildblue said:

Agreed that it's speculation what the source is for any given person that's sick.  But certainly, being confined on a ship with thousands of people, hundreds of which are sick, with transmissions happening multiple times a day, such as the delivery of food, increases the risk of disease transmissions.  No stateroom cabin is a CDC-approved isolation facility.

But unless the US evacuees are going to individualized respiratory isolation rooms (I don't think that US government has even 380 of those available immediately, but I could be wrong...) the situation at thew new "home" in US will not be that different.  Reading the news reports of the US evacuees from Wuhan, their quarantine facility was even more open that the situation on the ship.  And we have no idea if "transmissions happening multiple times a day" is really an accurate description either.

Edited February 15, 2020 by Psoque

[Wildblue]

2 minutes ago, Psoque said:

But unless the US evacuees are going to individualized respiratory isolation rooms (I don't think that US government has even 380 of those available immediately, but I could be wrong...) the situation at thew new "home" in US will not be that different.  Reading the news reports of the US evacuees from Wuhan, their quarantine facility was even more open that the situation on the ship.

No argument there.  But you were addressing the supposition that quarantining thousands of people together on the ship may have infected other healthy people onboard.

 

This article someone else posted is of interest.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/14/escaping-the-coronavirus-petri-dish-doctor-lawmakers-seek-evacuations-from-quarantined-cruise-115143

[G.M.T.]

1 hour ago, Wildblue said:

Oh, man.  Having sailed on the Diamond only a year ago, I'm particularly saddened to have watched this story unfold.  And that more and more passengers fall sick.  It seems like quarantining everybody onboard has had the side effect of infecting other healthy passengers (and I assume crew) onboard.  Continuing to watch this story.

What about the crew?

 

Better to have a maximumof only 3500 persons possible infected as a country of 80 million.

 

Edited February 15, 2020 by G.M.T.

[Caymus88]

With the ongoing positive results, it only makes sense to begin the quarantine process again 

once on US soil.

How would any of the passengers feel if they infected multiple others through ignorance.

[sppunk]

Out friends posted they’ll receive test kits starting the 18th so the soonest they can get off is the 21st. They’re quite unhappy they’re just now starting the distribution. 
 

They’re Canadian fwiw. 
 

If anyone tests positive they are removed and the cabin mate stays and the 14 day window is reset. 
 

He posted a photo of the many ambulances lined up by the tents so new cases are indeed exploding again. 

Edited February 15, 2020 by sppunk

[ed01106]

1 hour ago, Psoque said:

But unless the US evacuees are going to individualized respiratory isolation rooms (I don't think that US government has even 380 of those available immediately, but I could be wrong...) the situation at thew new "home" in US will not be that different.  Reading the news reports of the US evacuees from Wuhan, their quarantine facility was even more open that the situation on the ship.  And we have no idea if "transmissions happening multiple times a day" is really an accurate description either.

A few key difference.....

 

US has twice daily medical checks....Ship only if self reported symptoms.

 

US food prepared by people not in quarantine.  Ship food prepared by someone who might be infected.

 

 

[ilikeanswers]

What about the non US passengers? Are their countries planning to also quarantine them for another 14 days?

[voljeep]

32 minutes ago, sppunk said:

 

If anyone tests positive they are removed and the cabin mate stays and the 14 day window is reset. 

the cabin mate or the whole ship for another 14 days 

 

Fact? - link ?

[sppunk]

14 minutes ago, ilikeanswers said:

What about the non US passengers? Are their countries planning to also quarantine them for another 14 days?

No word from our Canadian friends about what happens after the (at earliest) 21st.

[sppunk]

1 minute ago, voljeep said:

the cabin mate or the whole ship for another 14 days 

 

Fact? - link ?

Our friends who are literally onboard are the source. The cabin mate would have to stay another 14 days. 

[ed01106]

$1100 is not an unreasonable price for a direct flight from Asia to the USA.  Yes, you can find less expensive flights particularly if you are willing to make connections.  Plus I am pretty sure Princess is picking up the tab anyhow.  Walking. back the promise to pay for the passengers return flight home b/c they thought they would be paying $800 for a commercial flight and it now costa few hundred more would be a PR nightmare.  

[Psoque]

36 minutes ago, ed01106 said:

A few key difference.....

 

US has twice daily medical checks....Ship only if self reported symptoms.

 

US food prepared by people not in quarantine.  Ship food prepared by someone who might be infected.

 

 

I'm not arguing with you, but I think people who are not familiar with respiratory isolation procedures should know this:

 

In the case of respiratory virus with possible likelihood of transmission from asymptomatic host, these two key differences may not make much difference.  These two things you mentioned are good things, but they may not be enough to prevent the new facility for serving as a "petri dish."  I'm cringing while typing this term, by the way.  And I'm not sure how they are going to prevent transmission inside the evacuation aircraft.  I supposed that the pilot and staff onboard will be wearing the respirator masks, but I know for a fact that it would not be feasible to put those on all passengers and have them work properly. 

 

Sorry to make this long, but please let me explain for those who never had to wear these respirator masks for respiratory isolation:  There are a few types/styles of masks that are designed to prevent transmission of respiratory pathogens.  They all need to be personally "fitted" though a fairly rigorous procedure.  It's not that they need to be custom-made, but, as an example, I had to try on a few different ones before we found one that passed the test for me.  Also, things like facial hair can severely interfere with the performance of the seal of the mask, and it's sometimes a problem.

 

So, if the US evacuees are expecting something that is entirely NOT "petri dish," when they leave the ship, they might be disappointed.  I hope they are told of this before they agree to be evacuated to the US.  Whether they like it or not, the quarantine is primarily designed to protect those outside of the quarantine, regardless of the citizenship of the "quarantee" or the "quaranter."  Sealing individuals inside the quarantine from each other is a nearly impossible task.

Edited February 15, 2020 by Psoque

[voljeep]

5 minutes ago, sppunk said:

Our friends who are literally onboard are the source. The cabin mate would have to stay another 14 days. 

on the ship or moved to a shore facility that's been mentioned before ?

[ilikeanswers]

5 minutes ago, voljeep said:

on the ship or moved to a shore facility that's been mentioned before ?

 

I was referring to after ship quarantine was over, so on land.

[fragilek]

Some of the Americans on the ship are not happy with the plan (they see flight as a red flag) and they are not happy that they will now need to spend more time in isolation. Also some mutterings about having to leave stuff behind as they have more luggage than they say is allowed. - I cannot verify/understand the facts of what the poster says but I can verify this is being mentioned by a US passenger on board the ship -@mjswhitebread

 

 

 

 

Edited February 15, 2020 by fragilek

[Pam]

Are there less airplane seats than US passengers?  If so, what will happen to the ones not evacuated?

[Coral]

1 hour ago, Psoque said:

In the case of respiratory virus with possible likelihood of transmission from asymptomatic host, these two key differences may not make much difference.  These two things you mentioned are good things, but they may not be enough to prevent the new facility for serving as a "petri dish."  I'm cringing while typing this term, by the way.  And I'm not sure how they are going to prevent transmission inside the evacuation aircraft.  I supposed that the pilot and staff onboard will be wearing the respirator masks, but I know for a fact that it would not be feasible to put those on all passengers and have them work properly. 

I live near a city that has Wuhan people who are being quarantined. We were originally told the Pilot and Crew would also be quarantined but a paper later said: The pilots and crew of the chartered airplane are not under quarantine at the camp. Both the passengers and the crew wore appropriate protective gear on the flight.

 

Another news source said those who removed the luggage from the plane did not have to be quarantined. 

 

Our news is reporting that a coronavirus test takes 6 hours and that tests can be done locally. Though we have a hospital that is known for handling contagious diseases like this. Not sure if all hospitals can do 6 hour tests.

 

I am not a medical person - just reporting what our local news is saying.

[Psoque]

6 minutes ago, Coral said:

I live near a city that has Wuhan people who are being quarantined. We were originally told the Pilot and Crew would also be quarantined but a paper later said: The pilots and crew of the chartered airplane are not under quarantine at the camp. Both the passengers and the crew wore appropriate protective gear on the flight.

 

Another news source said those who removed the luggage from the plane did not have to be quarantined. 

 

Our news is reporting that a coronavirus test takes 6 hours and that tests can be done locally. Though we have a hospital that is known for handling contagious diseases like this. Not sure if all hospitals can do 6 hour tests.

 

I am not a medical person - just reporting what our local news is saying.

What you are saying makes perfect sense.  The pilot/crew of the evacuation aircraft would have been fitted with properly fitting respirator masks.  What I was mentioning is that it would be not feasible to do a fitting test on all of the evacuees, so even though they will be wearing respirator masks of some kind, some of them will not have as good fit/tight seal as others, based on the shape of their faces, facial hair, etc.  This could potentially allow for transmission of virus from one evacuee to another while riding the aircraft.  I hope this makes better sense to you.

 

The RT-PCR based coronavirus test can be done in most hospital that can do RT-PCR, which is done in many clinical laboratories worldwide.

Edited February 15, 2020 by Psoque