Medical Facilities

[Craigrlewis]

Hi im wondering if anyone can answer a question for  me, Ive reached out to Cunard but am awaiting a response.

 

Last year booked a 4 night cruise (V220) to Scotland for myself and my elderly parents naively thinking Covid may be past us. 

 

My mother due to her arthritis and the drugs she takes has been classed as vulnerable.

 

I'm kind of leaning towards cancelling as I don’t want to expose her to risk

 

She has been told that should she get a positive covid result she would likely be given antiviral/antibody drugs detailed here https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-care-and-treatments-for-coronavirus/treatments-for-coronavirus/

 

My question to Cunard was do they have any of these on board and Im wondering if anyone else knows

 

Thanks

[Thorswife59]

I seem to recall reading somewhere on Cunard site that their medical centers were fully supplied and stocked to take care of any Covid needs. I would assume that would be in the antivirals as well. 

[Victoria2]

1 hour ago, Craigrlewis said:

Hi im wondering if anyone can answer a question for  me, Ive reached out to Cunard but am awaiting a response.

 

Last year booked a 4 night cruise (V220) to Scotland for myself and my elderly parents naively thinking Covid may be past us. 

 

My mother due to her arthritis and the drugs she takes has been classed as vulnerable.

 

I'm kind of leaning towards cancelling as I don’t want to expose her to risk

 

She has been told that should she get a positive covid result she would likely be given antiviral/antibody drugs detailed here https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-care-and-treatments-for-coronavirus/treatments-for-coronavirus/

 

My question to Cunard was do they have any of these on board and Im wondering if anyone else knows

 

Thanks

Whatever anyone posts, don't count on the anti virals until you get a definitive positive  answer. We're in the same boat [oops, sorry] and are assuming there won't be any onboard on the premise if you're that vulnerable, don't travel.

We're travelling! 🙂

[Craigrlewis]

56 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Whatever anyone posts, don't count on the anti virals until you get a definitive positive  answer. We're in the same boat [oops, sorry] and are assuming there won't be any onboard on the premise if you're that vulnerable, don't travel.

We're travelling! 🙂

Thanks Thorswife and Victoria

 

Yeagh “..dont travel…” is kind of what Im leaning towards now 

Some friends of ours left on Celebrity Silhouette last Thursday with their elderly (not classified as vulnerable) parents and the father has contracted covid and is now in quarantine on the ship.

 

Their experience has sharpened my mind a bit more

 

Like I said naively thought when I booked it would be a much different world!

 

[D&N]

3 hours ago, Craigrlewis said:

Hi im wondering if anyone can answer a question for  me, Ive reached out to Cunard but am awaiting a response.

 

Last year booked a 4 night cruise (V220) to Scotland for myself and my elderly parents naively thinking Covid may be past us. 

 

My mother due to her arthritis and the drugs she takes has been classed as vulnerable.

 

I'm kind of leaning towards cancelling as I don’t want to expose her to risk

 

She has been told that should she get a positive covid result she would likely be given antiviral/antibody drugs detailed here https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-care-and-treatments-for-coronavirus/treatments-for-coronavirus/

 

My question to Cunard was do they have any of these on board and Im wondering if anyone else knows

 

Thanks

Maybe I've been in the French system too long.

Can't you get a course of whichever antiviral is thought to be most suitable prescribed to take with you on the basis that they are returned unopened if not required?

[2BACRUISER]

8 minutes ago, D&N said:

Maybe I've been in the French system too long.

Can't you get a course of whichever antiviral is thought to be most suitable prescribed to take with you on the basis that they are returned unopened if not required?

You have. Lol

Once it's left the pharmacy it's considered used/contaminated. When my FIL died I took back a few recently prescribed packs of drugs as seemed a waste to just bin them but the lady in the pharmacy said they would have to be incinerated as packs might have been breached!! No wonder nhs is leaking money. 

[BklynBoy8]

We are blessed to feel safe being on the Queen Mary 2 on all our past sailings these 16 years.

 

Had some minor cases like ENT and other none threatening illness.

 

We feel very confident walking in like we are in our Primary Doctor office or their local Medical Center Emergency Department. Very professional as soon as you walk in. Staffed by Doctors and Nurses called Sisters.

 

We help them by bringing our medication listing even a copy of our EKG's from our Primaries to show when giving our history.

 

Cruising we are confident the Staff will care for us in the order parts of the vessel, but also confident in the Medical Center.

 

 

 

[Victoria2]

The capabilities of the Cunard medical centres aren't in question especially as I have seen the  how marvellous QV's was when I made daily visits to an elderly  table mate who had had a fall and was frail.

 

The thread is about whether Cunard would have recently UK licensed medication onboard to treat Covid in designated clinically vulnerable passengers and my guess would be, no because if you're that concerned, travel onboard a cruise ship is questionable  at the moment.

[Camgirl]

As I understand it, the anti-virals have to be started within the first five days of catching covid, to be effective. You are only going to be onboard for four nights. Even if your mum caught the virus as she went onto the ship, which shouldn't be a risk as everyone has to have a negative test going on, she would not test positive for at least a couple of days. Assuming they are not available onboard, you would be on your last day anyway and could get the antivirals sorted through the NHS whilst onboard (by phone or by email) for administering as soon as you are off the ship. Your mum would have to be very unlucky to catch the virus that quickly, anyway, especially if you distance from the other passengers and take care with sanitising regularly, etc. 

[Victoria2]

57 minutes ago, Camgirl said:

As I understand it, the anti-virals have to be started within the first five days of catching covid, to be effective. You are only going to be onboard for four nights. Even if your mum caught the virus as she went onto the ship, which shouldn't be a risk as everyone has to have a negative test going on, she would not test positive for at least a couple of days. Assuming they are not available onboard, you would be on your last day anyway and could get the antivirals sorted through the NHS whilst onboard (by phone or by email) for administering as soon as you are off the ship. Your mum would have to be very unlucky to catch the virus that quickly, anyway, especially if you distance from the other passengers and take care with sanitising regularly, etc. 

Your scenario sounds perfect in print but in practice might be a different case. The drugs  should be taken asap after a positive test, the five days mentioned being the max. time element.

 

The UK designated clinically vulnerable list has a raft of conditions and many of those to be given  anti viral treatment will have potential respiratory problems. If anyone is concerned to the point of considering cancellation, maybe some serious thought should go into whether a cruise ship holiday is worth it.  It's down to individuals to decide the risk element.

 

 

 

[jimbo1683]

On 4/27/2022 at 11:00 AM, Camgirl said:

could get the antivirals sorted through the NHS whilst onboard (by phone or by email) for administering as soon as you are off the ship.

Really?!?

My doctor's surgery doesn't have email because they are so worried about inadvertantly breaching GDPR, and if you don't phone them within 30 minutes of opening in the morning you muat wait until the next day. 

If you have a doctor who takes phone calls at any time and uses email you are very fortunate indeed!