Vacinated. COVID test required?

[GICNJC]

Perhaps I missed it reading the broad new health rules from the major lines.  They all talk about testing, but what will the protocol be once we get vaccinated? 

[comcox]

I would think that tests may still be required for a while at least as the vaccines will need to be proven and I doubt they will turn up 100%.  We all get flu vaccines every year but we can still get the flu, alas.

[Mary229]

I think for a while at least they will require vaccinations.  @comcox The issue isn't if one person's vaccination is not effective and they become ill.  It is the group.  Truthfully the companies and governments are not concerned with the one case, they are concerned about the group.  We all continue to take our eye off the ball - our mission is to not overwhelm the medical care system.  I know that sounds harsh but that is what public health systems are for - basically they are medical crowd control.  

[pinotlover]

This issue presents a huge societal dilemma in every portion of our lives.  What happens when a vaccine becomes available and 35% of the population refuse to get it? Must schools maintain online only programs or the abbreviated class times to protect the antivaxers? If they go back to regular classes and 15-20 antivaxer kids get CovI’d, do they shutdown the schools for everyone to protect the remaining antivaxers? 
 

These questions loom large across a broad swath of the economy. Will restaurants and bars still be required to operate at under capacity because of the antivaxers? Etc., Etc.!  Things will then get very ugly for awhile, at that point, and what hits the fan won’t smell good!

[Redtravel]

Where I live, to attend public schools kids must be vaccinated for small pox, etc.

[Shawnino]

I would expect testing to still be required.

Comcox hits on a lot of it. No vaccine is 100%. No one's sure how long a duration the various vaccines will have.

Ships don't care if you're vaccinated. They care whether or not you have Wuhan virus.

[floridatravelersforlife]

On 9/27/2020 at 5:30 AM, GICNJC said:

Perhaps I missed it reading the broad new health rules from the major lines.  They all talk about testing, but what will the protocol be once we get vaccinated? 

I would imagine the cruise companies will require all persons getting on board to get pre board tested.  Vaccinations won't give you a pass since 1) Vax records can be forged.  2) one can catch and carry the virus even after being vax'd.    A vax helps the body fight the virus, but it is still in your system and the level of virus resistance varies with the individual   3) Pre board 100% testing accounts for all circumstances  of infection and removes  the most  risk.

 

Cruise companies cannot afford to have a repeat of this year.

 

   

[susiesan]

20 hours ago, floridatravelersforlife said:

I would imagine the cruise companies will require all persons getting on board to get pre board tested.  

 

 

 

   

Unless the cruise lines provide the test at the pier free of charge, people will not be able to get tested in their home towns before flying to wherever their cruise embarks from. It's unavailable in many parts of the country including where I live, Kansas City. I am facing the dilemma of having to cancel a Windstar Tahiti cruise in January due to the covid test requirement of French Polynesia: a RT-PCR test with negative results administered 72 hours before you board the plane to PPT. This is the more invasive/extensive test that has to be sent off to a laboratory. Here in KC you cannot get results in time, it is taking 5-7 days to get results. If when my final payment is due dec. 15 things are still looking backed up with covid testing, I will reluctantly cancel the cruise, flights, and hotel stay in Tahiti.

[deadzone1003]

A vaccination either prevents you from catching the disease or, at worst, that you will have milder symptoms if you do catch it.  If it is the latter scenario, you can still transmit the disease though at a much lower viral load - basically you are just reducing the probability of transmitting the disease to others, but not eliminating the possibility of transmission.  In short vaccinations are just a way for the population to reach "herd immunity" without most of the population having to get sick.  For the immediate future tests will be required if you want to go on a cruise even though you are vaccinated.  

[njhorseman]

22 hours ago, floridatravelersforlife said:

 3) Pre board 100% testing accounts for all circumstances  of infection and removes  the most  risk.

No it does not account for all circumstances of infection because a test just identifies your status at the instant the test was taken. There's an incubation period that has to be accounted for. If you had a test 72 hours prior to boarding a negative test would not eliminate the possibility that you subsequently became infected or even that you had already been exposed shortly before the test but too close to the test to produce a positive reading. Even a test administered at the pier just prior to boarding doesn't eliminate the possibility that you were exposed and infected too recently to produce a positive test result. 

 

Bermuda has one of the better testing protocols . You're required to have a negative test prior to boarding your flight, ideally done with 72 hours of your flight although they will accept  a test done up to seven days prior. You're then tested immediately upon your arrival at the airport and require to quarantine at your accommodations until a negative test result is provided. While in Bermuda you have to take your temperature twice daily and report it via their online portal. Masks and social distancing are required where appropriate while in the country. You're then required to be retested on day 4, day 8 and day 14 of your stay in Bermuda. As a result of their strict protocols Bermuda has had few infections since the island reopened to visitors on July 1.

 

Perhaps cruise lines should adopt a protocol similar to Bermuda's...negative test with a few days of boarding, negative test at the pier, mandatory daily temperature checks and ongoing testing every few days while on board.

Edited October 2, 2020 by njhorseman

[susiesan]

25 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

 

 

Bermuda has one of the better testing protocols . You're required to have a negative test prior to boarding your flight, ideally done with 72 hours of your flight although they will accept  a test done up to seven days prior. You're then tested immediately upon your arrival at the airport and require to quarantine at your accommodations until a negative test result is provided. While in Bermuda you have to take your temperature twice daily and report it via their online portal. Masks and social distancing are required where appropriate while in the country. You're then required to be retested on day 4, day 8 and day 14 of your stay in Bermuda. As a result of their strict protocols Bermuda has had few infections since the island reopened to visitors on July 1.

 

 

Ugh. Sure doesn't sound like a vacation, more like a visit to a doctor's clinic. I'd rather stay home under this scenario.

[clo]

7 hours ago, susiesan said:

Ugh. Sure doesn't sound like a vacation, more like a visit to a doctor's clinic. I'd rather stay home under this scenario.

I'm glad to see that you're getting yourself prepared to not cruise. That's a good thing.

[Georgia_Peaches]

On 10/2/2020 at 9:23 PM, clo said:

I'm glad to see that you're getting yourself prepared to not cruise. That's a good thing.

Are casinos open in Reno?  Just curious.

[clo]

2 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Are casinos open in Reno?  Just curious.

AFAIK yes.

[Debbers]

On 10/1/2020 at 2:13 PM, Redtravel said:

Where I live, to attend public schools kids must be vaccinated for small pox, etc.

It's great to hear that public school students must be vaccinated, but I can assure you they don't get smallpox vax.  That scourge was eradicated in 1980.  There are no cases in the world.  That's something to celebrate!

 

[kitty9]

On 10/1/2020 at 3:48 PM, floridatravelersforlife said:

I would imagine the cruise companies will require all persons getting on board to get pre board tested.  Vaccinations won't give you a pass since 1) Vax records can be forged.  2) one can catch and carry the virus even after being vax'd.    A vax helps the body fight the virus, but it is still in your system and the level of virus resistance varies with the individual   3) Pre board 100% testing accounts for all circumstances  of infection and removes  the most  risk.

 

Cruise companies cannot afford to have a repeat of this year.

 

   

And if they require a doctor’s letter that says you’re fit to cruise, those letters can also be faked.  So, will they take the time to call each doctor to verify the letter?

 

Can cruise lines even ask about a passenger’s health history?  Does that not violate HIPPA laws? 

[pinotlover]

47 minutes ago, kitty9 said:

And if they require a doctor’s letter that says you’re fit to cruise, those letters can also be faked.  So, will they take the time to call each doctor to verify the letter?

 

Can cruise lines even ask about a passenger’s health history?  Does that not violate HIPPA laws? 

No they won’t call your doctor, but if anything happens and one has committed fraud, by faking a doctor’s report, being permanently put on the No Sail list will be the least of their problems. I’m sure that No Sail action will be shared with all the other lines!

 

Requiring proof of vaccinations and health history in no way violates HIPPA if the conditions can impact the health and safety of the crew, fellow passengers, or the cruisers themselves. Lots of activities require physicals and doctor releases even in the US where HIPPA rules apply. Yelling HIPPA while attempting to board a ship in Istanbul, Bangkok, or anywhere elsewhere is moronic!

Edited October 31, 2020 by pinotlover

[KirkNC]

I could see vaccinations being required toward the end of 2021.  It will take that long to vaccinate the majority of the US population.  Another thing lurking but unanswered is screening of higher risk individuals.  Understand that the CDC rules require if one person onboard tests positive, the entire ship must go into quarantine and head to port.

[pinotlover]

3 hours ago, KirkNC said:

I could see vaccinations being required toward the end of 2021.  It will take that long to vaccinate the majority of the US population.  Another thing lurking but unanswered is screening of higher risk individuals.  Understand that the CDC rules require if one person onboard tests positive, the entire ship must go into quarantine and head to port.

I particularly like the part where someone has been found to have committed fraud by faking a shot record or doctor’s release and force a ship to port! Be nice seeing them turned over to Turkish or Chilean authorities for criminal activities and fraud! Think that Turkish jailer could care about HIPPA? 😂

[GICNJC]

The antivax 15% of the population will always be suspect for the Virus.   So vaccine and testing will continue for years to come.

[Mary229]

There is no doubt in my mind that once the vaccination is available, vaccinations will be required for at least 5 years maybe 10.  If your locale does not have the vaccine available or you object for whatever reason  you will have to vacation elsewhere.  I would not be surprised to see governments require vaccinations to enter the country.   The anti-vaxxers will just have to come to terms with not cruising and perhaps not traveling outside of their home country.  

[pinotlover]

Just now, Mary229 said:

There is no doubt in my mind that once the vaccination is available, vaccinations will be required for at least 5 years maybe 10.  If your locale does not have the vaccine available or you object for whatever reason  you will have to vacation elsewhere.  I would not be surprised to see governments require vaccinations to enter the country.   The anti-vaxxers will just have to come to terms with not cruising and perhaps not traveling outside of their home country.  

+1

 

The world of the antivaxers will get progressively smaller very quickly.

[pinotlover]

Lots of ongoing work being done with the nanoparticle technology breathalyzer and “ gargle and spit” method tests. Both currently look very promising with more testing on the way. Current expectations are these tests will be on the market and commercially available in six months. Game changers, highly accurate and results within a few minutes for $2-$3 per test.

[Tranquility Base]

I am guessing there will be a list of approved vaccines that each and every country will have to approve before travel is permitted.

If the vaccine  that you receive  is not on the list, then I guess travel to that country may still not be permitted.

 

Also, if a booster is needed - eg: 6 months later - you would need to ensure you are in the appropriate country to receive it.

 

I have a feeling vaccine deployment and usage is going to be a longer process than some people expect.

Edited November 1, 2020 by Tranquility Base

[KirkNC]

1 hour ago, pinotlover said:

Lots of ongoing work being done with the nanoparticle technology breathalyzer and “ gargle and spit” method tests. Both currently look very promising with more testing on the way. Current expectations are these tests will be on the market and commercially available in six months. Game changers, highly accurate and results within a few minutes for $2-$3 per test.

If they could get high accuracy from the spit test it would be great.