Over 3,500 people quarantined on Diamond Princess cruise

[QueenElinor]

I really want to boom my May cruise as the GT rate have come out, but I'm afraid that being Italian they won't let me board!

Also did you guys hear about then 1000 people in quarantine in an hotel in tenerife because an Italian tested positive...

It's these sudden lockdowns that scare me. I think it very unlikely that kind of thing is going to happen in the US (never say never I guess) but generally the CDC approaches things less heavy-handed, partly because if authorities are heavy-handed, people will start lying and failing to come forward if they're sick.

And that's why I wouldn't go on a big-ship cruise in the near future. The odds are super low of anything really happening, but the consequences if it did are very high. I'd like to think the authorities learned their lesson with the Diamond Princess and Westerdam, but the fact is, the only lesson they likely learned was "Don't let these ships dock at all." The next ship that has a rumored case aboard may not be able to find a port, under any circumstances. Again, it's not the virus that's the problem, it's the reaction to it.

And as a passenger aboard a ship, if I were sick I might not tell anyone. I'd be afraid of the above scenario. So I'd tough it out until I got to port, infecting others along the way.

Quarantines and lockdowns can do far more harm than good, if they're misapplied. I think the lessons learned from the cruise ship problems are not the ones we wish they were.

 

[QueenElinor]

Hey, good news!

https://www.theepochtimes.com/moder...vid-19-vaccine-for-human-testing_3249884.html

 

[amylevan]

So I saw reports that a vaccine was being sent to federal research for human trials. I expect that trials take a while, but are we still looking at a vaccine sooner than the original 9-18 month estimate?

 

[amylevan]

Hey, good news!

https://www.theepochtimes.com/moder...vid-19-vaccine-for-human-testing_3249884.html

Jinx.

 

[QueenElinor]

Jinx.

I think we do NOT mind seeing good news twice!

They can expedite human trials if they have to, and they might in this case. I had heard the earliest possible vaccine might be 6 months, but it might be sooner if this pans out.

One thing they might do is release it in stages, i.e. only the high-risk get it initially. I think that the risk/benefit ratio tilts pretty strongly in favor of getting it to folks over 70 in areas with outbreaks as quickly as they can.

 

[klbrow11]

Have an adult only trip to Italy in May so now carefully watching. Not scared at all about the disease. For someone young and healthy its just not something to concern myself over. Its the crazy quarantines that are happening that are concerning. Do not have the disposable income for all that lol. Nor would I want to be separated from my child for an extended period of time.

 

[DLgal]

So I saw reports that a vaccine was being sent to federal research for human trials. I expect that trials take a while, but are we still looking at a vaccine sooner than the original 9-18 month estimate?

Not likely. I actually don't have very high hopes for this first vaccine. It will be very hard to prove its efficacy without a significant amount of exposure to the virus to see if it is actually working. Where will they trial it in the US that fits those parameters? I had read that creating a vaccine for this virus is already proving difficult due to its nature of causing quite severe illness. The vaccine has to hit the right balance of invoking an immune response without causing an overreaction. I think this first submission will likely be a failure.

 

[QueenElinor]

Not likely. I actually don't have very high hopes for this first vaccine. It will be very hard to prove its efficacy without a significant amount of exposure to the virus to see if it is actually working. Where will they trial it in the US that fits those parameters? I had read that creating a vaccine for this virus is already proving difficult due to its nature of causing quite severe illness. The vaccine has to hit the right balance of invoking an immune response without causing an overreaction. I think this first submission will likely be a failure.

They'll probably get something similar to a compassionate use exception in an outbreak zone. There's no reason it has to be trialed in the US. I bet Japan or SK will step up to help expedite it.

And even if this first one doesn't work out, the mere fact that there IS one already signals that many more are right behind. Moderna is definitely not the only one who has this new technology. It would not surprise me at all if we had a workable vaccine in 3 months, because they literally don't make 'em like they used to, and that's a good thing.

 

[QueenElinor]

Aaaaannd they're off!

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3536421-inovio-up-12-on-coronavirus-vaccine-plan
Inovio and Moderna are neck and neck just out of the gate....

 

[mmmears]

If anyone is following the story of David and Sally Abel, passengers on the Diamond Princess, he posted a new video today from the hospital. Sally's pneumonia seems to be much better and he thinks his is also going in the right direction. He said that Princess has been fantastic through all of this, getting him cell phones so he could call family back home (and get online) and bringing them care packages while they are in the hospital.

 

[monkeydawn]

If anyone is following the story of David and Sally Abel, passengers on the Diamond Princess, he posted a new video today from the hospital. Sally's pneumonia seems to be much better and he thinks his is also going in the right direction. He said that Princess has been fantastic through all of this, getting him cell phones so he could call family back home (and get online) and bringing them care packages while they are in the hospital.

Thanks for this update.

 

[QueenElinor]

Well, I just spent a couple of hours listening to the report from the WHO mission to China. And I have to say, it was an eye-opener. Dr. Aylward (Canadian) said they did not think there were large numbers of asymptomatic cases, and that an extremely intense response to each case/outbreak will be needed. Huge focus on containment, not mitigation. This is going to be a wake-up call to most epidemiologists and governments around the world. And they really need to inform people what's going on, he said medical authorities need to expect it to pop up anywhere, at any time. And be on it like white on rice (my words, not his).

Man, I did not expect that. He didn't mince words, either.

Well, as @Adventurelawyer says, "Washy washy". Now would be a good time to start that, if you haven't already.

Edit: And, good news for health care workers (at least relative to what we've heard)- evidently they think that the affected HCW actually caught the virus at home. Whew!

I'll post the link for any interested HCW who have the time, when it becomes available.

 

[mousefan73]

At this point I am so stressed about our upcoming Hawaii sailing. A PP wrote they have a trip to Italy in a few months. Call me a pessimist but my gut feeling is in a few months this is a global thing. So keep planning trips to Italy or anywhere. it‘s wait and see to see how the world/ authorities react to this. My un- medically qualified opinion on this is: based how this thing has been spreading it‘s pointless to close borders and lock people in hotel rooms, Cruise ships or towns. . Let this thing runs its course. Some get lucky, some don’t. ☹ Our planet is so internationally interconnected.

Now this is pure fantasy and speculation let’s imagine the entire world goes to a standstillNow this is pure fantasy and speculation let’s imagine the entire world goes to a standstill globally people are sick with this epidemic and everything is shut down. More people will die from a snowball affects for example not getting medication they need because factories are shut down than probably the virus itself.

Selfish me though is more concerned about missing my Hawaiian cruise that we have been planning and looking so forward to for the past two years. I don’t even don’t want to think about the amount of money and heart and soul I have invested in my FE gifts.
Edited : to clean up the mess voice to text made.

 

[QueenElinor]

based how this thing has been spreading it‘s pointless to close borders and lock people in hotel rooms, Cruise ships or towns. . Let this thing runs its course. Some get lucky, some don’t. ☹ Our planet is so internationally interconnected.

I know it's natural to feel pessimistic, but there is a LOT that can be done. The one thing we don't want to do is give up, instead we need to be personally vigilant and let the governments do their thing.

For instance, the travel ban. It's working. The US has (had) a lot of travel back and forth to China- but we have no outbreaks, which is remarkable.

Singapore had an outbreak and successfully contained it. This is tremendous good news!

The US may be big, but it's divided into little parts, and even smaller localities, all of which have plans in place for disaster preparedness. These need to be dusted off and updated. But the infrastructure is there. the talent is there, and the money can be there in a heartbeat. European countries have similar structures in place, and different plans more suitable for their locales, that seem to be working.

Travel plans are separate from our health and well-being. Maybe we'll have to postpone those, maybe not. The only thing to do is wait and see, watch those travel advisories from the State Department and CDC decide what to do when the time comes.

 

[DisneYE]

The only thing to do is wait and see, watch those travel advisories from the State Department and CDC decide what to do when the time comes.

Also, the WHO.
You know who also watches the advisories from the CDC and WHO? the NYSE
It's down 800 points today, yesterday it lost 1,000 points.
That's a metric I'm watching. And I'm starting to get worried.

 

[Dreams&wishes]

My apologies I'm not too familiar with your health system, but I was wondering if the USA gets coronavirus and it starts spreading, who's gonna cover and cure these people that will need inesive therapy and won't have insurance? Do they get covered anyway cuz it's an emergency? Or there is no need to be covered?

 

[QueenElinor]

My apologies I'm not too familiar with your health system, but I was wondering if the USA gets coronavirus and it starts spreading, who's gonna cover and cure these people that will need inesive therapy and won't have insurance? Do they get covered anyway cuz it's an emergency? Or there is no need to be covered?

Most people are covered by insurance. The remainder will be covered by public or charity care, at least where I live. I'm guessing that before this is done, the government will authorize funding so that no one gets a bill over coronavirus, though we might see reports of it here and there.

 

[Dreams&wishes]

Most people are covered by insurance. The remainder will be covered by public or charity care, at least where I live. I'm guessing that before this is done, the government will authorize funding so that no one gets a bill over coronavirus, though we might see reports of it here and there.

Ah it's good to know that people won't be left behind or with a huge debt.

 

[Dreams&wishes]

San Francisco has declared a local emergency do you guys know why?

 

[VictoriaAndMatt]

My apologies I'm not too familiar with your health system, but I was wondering if the USA gets coronavirus and it starts spreading, who's gonna cover and cure these people that will need inesive therapy and won't have insurance? Do they get covered anyway cuz it's an emergency? Or there is no need to be covered?

A long time ago we unfortunately didn’t have insurance and my daughter had an emergency. They admitted her and did all the tests and everything regardless. Before she was discharged (we were there for a few days) someone from social services came in and had me fill out some forms for emergency assistance. I’m not sure if this is the norm, but I am so thankful it was available to us. There is no way I would be able to pay those medical bills.