A few questions arise with respect to MS Westerdam,
Holland America and the passengers on boards were all highly motivated for the ship to dock somewhere and to disembark. Did that motivation affect how people behave?
Cambodia’s prime minister didn’t seem to care about the virus. He wanted to visit the epicenter Wuhan after the outbreak, but was politely rejected by China. Was his decision motivated more by humanitarian concern or something else?
If both WHO and CDC were involved, what procedures were followed and what tests were performed? Knowing that none of tests are sufficiently reliable and the long incubation period of the virus, why weren’t the passengers and crews quarantined in some facilities in Cambodia or another country for a period of time before they are allowed to fly to their final destinations? Being at sea for nearly 2 weeks doesn’t make the quarantine unnecessary since an infected passenger could be on board but never showed symptoms, and later infected other passengers who may not show any symptom (or didn’t want to disclose their symptoms) for another 2 weeks.
I’m still not understanding why that ship was singled out. What happened to all the other cruise ships in that huge area–surely there were more than two?
^I believe, besides Diamond Princess and another one docked at Hong Kong harbor, MS Westerdam is the only other cruise ships in the area during this period.
Weren’t there 3? The first docked in Taiwan or Hong Kong. We don’t hear much about that one. Are there that many cruise ships sailing around Asia with stops in Chinese port?
I read somewhere the ship had been sailing for 14 days already. They may have presumed it satisfied the quarantined. Cambodia is also very eager too please China. It may have something to do with it.
The one in Hong Kong, World Dream, was quarantined for 4 days then the passengers and crew were sent on their way. Several passengers from a previous voyage on that ship with the same crew were infected with the virus. There was concern about the crew onboard. All 1,800 crew were tested and the tests came back negative (who knows if it was too early to show symptoms?). To my knowledge, none of the passengers were tested.
The 44 Americans on Diamond Princess will not be evacuated as they have tested positive. They will be hospitalized in Japan. Those showing symptoms will also be unable to board evacuation flights per reports by US officials.
Everyone on the planes will be required to be quarantined for 14 days.
The Americans from the Diamond Princess? They are going to Travis Air Force base, I believe. In California. Oh, it looks like some might go to San Antonio, as well.
New Deaths, China: 105 for a total of 1,770 in China and 1,775 worldwide.
Newly confirmed cases, China: 2,048 for a total of 70,548 in China and 71,330 +/-worldwide.
"Mi Feng, a spokesman for the National Health Commission, said on Sunday that the proportion of people confirmed to be infected who were critically ill had fallen to 22 per cent on Saturday, from 32 per cent on January 27, which he said showed that “the effect of the coronavirus controls is appearing”. (SCMP)
“Chinese state media is reporting that penalties up to life imprisonment can be handed out to people who sell face masks or goggles which don’t meet national standards.” (Guardian)
Tweets from WHO head:
"In my speech at #MSC2020 I asked international community in the fight against #COVID19 to:
Use the window of opportunity to intensify our preparedness
Take a whole-of-government approach. This is not a job for health ministers alone
Be guided by solidarity, not stigma
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus @DrTedros
In our fractured & divided ?, health is one of the few areas which offers the opportunity for countries to work together for a common cause.
"Al Jazeera’s John Hendren, reporting from Washington, DC, said the US citizens being evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, docked at Yokohama in Japan, had a “no frills” journey ahead of them.
He explained that after having spent 10 days in quarantine on the ship, the US nationals who tested negative for the coronavirus will board a cargo plane to return to the US.
“They’ve been told that it will be cold, they should bundle up, they should bring their own food and for those with bags over 70 pounds, they’re told those bags will not make the trip,” Hendren said." (Al Jazeera)
I know from photos they have been using bare bones cargo planes for these evacuation flights.
“Cambodia urged Kuala Lumpur to “double-check” the diagnosis, but Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said the 83-year-old woman had already been tested twice. “Our protocol is actually world-class … it’s a positive,” she told a press conference.” (Al Jazeera)
“reports on a new initiative in eastern Hubei’s Huanggang city, where residents with a fever or cough who report their symptoms will be awarded 500 yuan or $72. The city is the third worst affected in Hubei, with 2,831 reported cases of Covid-19 and 78 deaths.” (Guardian)
"The Global Times – the tabloid mouth piece of the Chinese government – is reporting that the (city) of Xinxian in Henan province, south of Beijing, is extending the quarantine period for traveller returning from Wuhan to 21 days. This follows two unusual cases of Covid-19, which you can read about in the tweet below. This could obviously be very significant if this is replicated elsewhere.
Global Times @globaltimesnews
One of the new cases was diagnosed 34 days after returning from Wuhan, and another 94 days after coming in contact with a Wuhan resident. Both infection sources are unknown.
Global Times @globaltimesnews
Xinxian county in Henan Province to prolong quarantine period for people traveling to Wuhan or contacting with #Wuhan residents from 14 days to 21 days, after discovering 2 unusual #COVID19 cases." (Guardian)
We’ve had many questions here about the incubation period. Those seem like very long incubation periods but isn’t unknown for certain viruses and diseases.
" confirmed cases include two hospital doctors and a patient at the same hospital in Wakayama prefecture, western Japan. On Monday, the outbreak forced a hospital near Tokyo to stop accepting new patients…The hospital, in Sagamihara, about 50km west of Tokyo, said it would suspend new admissions because one of its nurses had tested positive for the virus after treating a patient who later died of the disease. A member of the diagnosis team from Japan’s health ministry also tested positive for the disease
Tokyo’s marathon, scheduled for 1 March,…told participants from China to consider avoiding the event…The marathon doubles as a qualifying event for the Tokyo Olympics…
Japan’s health minister, Katsunobu Kato, urged the public to avoid crowds and “non-essential gatherings”, including notoriously packed commuter trains and warned the nation was “entering a new phase” in the outbreak of the virus…
On Monday, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT), one of the country’s biggest firms, said it was urging its 200,000 group employees to work from home or stagger their commutes."
Japan cancels Emperor’s birthday public celebrations amid virus fears
"Japan said Monday it would cancel a public gathering to celebrate the birthday of new Emperor Naruhito, as fears grow over the spread of the new coronavirus in the country.
“In light of various situations, we have decided to cancel the visit by the general public to the palace for His Majesty’s birthday,” the imperial household agency said in a statement a day after the government warned people to avoid crowds and “non-essential gatherings.”" (Al Jazeera)
14 test positive among US plane evacuees from Japan virus ship
"Fourteen people who had tested positive for the new coronavirus were among the more than 300 US citizens and family members evacuated by plane from a quarantined ship in Japan, the US State Department said Monday.
The passengers had already disembarked from the Diamond Princess and were preparing to return to the United States on chartered aircraft when US officials were informed 14 of them who had been tested days earlier were positive for COVID-19, it said in a joint statement with the Department of Health and Human Services.
“These individuals were moved in the most expeditious and safe manner to a specialized containment area on the evacuation aircraft to isolate them in accordance with standard protocols,” it said. “During the flights, these individuals will continue to be isolated from the other passengers.” (Telegraph UK)
99 more cases on Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan
“An additional 99 people have tested positive for coronavirus on a cruise ship off the Japan coast…the largest cluster of coronavirus cases outside the epicentre in China with 454 cases confirmed…Officials have so far screened a total of 1,723 people…Some American passengers said they would pass up the opportunity to fly to the US because of the additional quarantine. There also was concern about being on a long flight with other passengers who may be infected or in an incubation period.
Matthew Smith on Sunday tweeted that he saw a passenger with no face mask talking at close quarters with another passenger.
“If there are secondary infections on board, this is why,” he said. “And you wanted me to get on a bus with her?”” (SCMP)
My D and SIL have friends who have grandparents on the Diamond Princess ship who were supposed to be among those evacuated. They were packed and ready to go, luggage had already been taken out of their room and then someone came and told them that the grandmother had tested positive. She feels fine and hopefully this has been caught early enough that she recovers easily, obviously the grandfather will probably have it too. The steward who had been bringing them breakfast tested positive also. So sad for these people.
