wuhan - coronavirus

[Ausmumof3]

14 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

 

 
From NHK https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200204_03/

“Japanese quarantine officials have boarded a cruise ship moored off Yokohama, near Tokyo, to screen its crew and passengers for the new coronavirus.

The move came after a Hong Kong resident who was on the ship, the Diamond Princess, was found to have been infected after he disembarked in his home city.

Japan's health ministry says about 2,500 passengers and some 1,000 crew members are on board.

The vessel returned to Yokohama after making stops in the southern prefecture of Kagoshima, as well as Hong Kong, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Okinawa, another Japanese prefecture.

Ministry officials say people with a fever, coughing or other symptoms will be tested for the virus.
The officials say everyone will stay on the vessel until they finish the quarantine procedures and tests. They say they expect the test results on Tuesday evening.

The health ministry says it will allow people without symptoms to go home without undergoing tests, but ask them to contact authorities and go to hospital if they exhibit symptoms.

The ministry says it is trying to find out if the Hong Kong resident went ashore, when the ship made a stop at a Kagoshima port.

When the ship docked in Naha, Okinawa, nobody was found to have symptoms, and about 10 passengers got off. Officials plan to look into whether any of them had close contact with the Hong Kong resident.”

For some reason the thing that surprised me most about this is that there is one crew member per 2.5 passengers on the cruise ship 

[Katy]

11 minutes ago, Pen said:

What happens to sewage from cruise ships? 

 

If you're within a certain number of miles from shore (3, 5, 7?  depends on the area) it goes into a storage tank until further at sea.  If you're beyond that boundary it goes through a machine that's basically a giant blender and pumps it directly into the ocean.  This wikipedia article goes into more detail: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruise_ship_pollution_in_the_United_States

[I talk to the trees]

On 2/2/2020 at 10:05 PM, Katy said:

For those who are interested in epidemiology & infectious diseases in general, there was a Canadian drama show about it that was added to Amazon Prime video recently.  It's a show called ReGenesis.  Some of it is way over the top, but it's an entertaining thing to stream when you're working out.  As an aside, I think it was Ellen Page's first role.  She played the teen daughter of the main character.

I really enjoyed that show, but golly! The writers did make very liberal use of f-bombs! 😳 Dd watched a couple of episodes with me, and enjoyed picking apart the science in the show! Note to self: Never watch hospital dramas with a nurse, or ReGenesis with a biology student. 😆Another note on the cast- quite a few of them were also in Orphan Black. 

[Ausmumof3]

So now they are using the mobile phone data from the couple here to track down where they have been ... 

[Pen]

13 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

So now they are using the mobile phone data from the couple here to track down where they have been ... 

 

That’s sounding like a thriller fiction book...  the Andromeda strain or something. 

[Pen]

5 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

The couple on my state who were supposed to be asymptomatic on the plane but weren’t and were supposed to be in self isolation attended a real estate auction 

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/real-estate-agency-closed-after-confirmed-sa-coronavirus-victims-attended-firle-house-auction/news-story/437540c6ad432abc0dddeb4e4fabc1dd

 

Depressing.

Maybe virus affects brain in some hosts.  Maybe builders of the new hospital know that.

or maybe they are “just” the don’t take it seriously type, or worse deliberately wanting to share the infection 

But is it really clear they knew they were supposed to be isolated before going to auction?

Edited February 4, 2020 by Pen

[Ausmumof3]

1 hour ago, Pen said:

 

Depressing.

Maybe virus affects brain in some hosts.  Maybe builders of the new hospital know that.

or maybe they are “just” the don’t take it seriously type, or worse deliberately wanting to share the infection 

But is it really clear they knew they were supposed to be isolated before going to auction?

I don’t know.  I think they weren’t diagnosed at that point so possibly not.  I can’t remember when the advice level escalated here.  It’s just that there seems to be some communication issues where they aren’t accurately reporting where they have been since.  Could be language related, fear related or just that thing that happens when you’re in another country and you can’t remember which day it is or where you’ve been.  I’m sure it’s not intentional or malicious but just a pain for authorities and others who may potentially have to quarantine for a while.

[RootAnn]

7 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

Cruise ship in quarantine for 24 hours in Japan after a passenger who travelled from 20-25 Jan tested positive to coronavirus.  He had symptoms while on board.

Yikes! That's going to be a nightmare for everyone involved.

Every intinction I've seen is the priest doing the intinction themself but it is not a common practice. I've never seen communion rails get disinfected, just cleaned once per week (or whatever the normal cleaning schedule is). Churches, in general, are hotbeds of germs. Unless, of course, you believe God keeps the germs out.

[TravelingChris]

7 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

For some reason the thing that surprised me most about this is that there is one crew member per 2.5 passengers on the cruise ship 

Why?  IT is one of the reasons people cruise-  very affordable luxury.  And if they worked 40 hour weeks, they would need an even higher percentage of cruise workers.

[Ausmumof3]

18 minutes ago, TravelingChris said:

Why?  IT is one of the reasons people cruise-  very affordable luxury.  And if they worked 40 hour weeks, they would need an even higher percentage of cruise workers.

I don’t know I’m not really a cruising kind of person.  Just wondered how it was financially viable.  I have heard that the conditions and pay can be quite poor on some so maybe that’s how.

[Ausmumof3]

13 cases here now with the last one the child of the parents who were already ill on the Gold Coast.

[TravelingChris]

33 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

I don’t know I’m not really a cruising kind of person.  Just wondered how it was financially viable.  I have heard that the conditions and pay can be quite poor on some so maybe that’s how.

Dh and I were on a cruise to the Madeira Island and Canary Islands in October.  The cruise ship had a video of a new ship of theirs being built and the cost of the ship alone was astronomical.  We decided to do the calculations and we figured out that they can make good returns even with ships costing one billion dollars and so many crew members and all the food and supplies.  A lot of the guests get much more expensive lodgings than we ever do.  A lot of the guests on that ship bought $95/day premium liquor packages===my dh refused to buy either the premium or the non premium alcoholic drink package because he didn't want to have any incentive to over drink.  There was no way he would ever drink $95 a day of alcoholic drinks.  He did much better by buying a bottle of wine that lasted two dinners  and then buying one or two drinks extra.  But we, as Americans, were the exception.  The British were all buying the expensive drink packages.  There are many other ways the companies earn money from spas, beauty treatments, shops, extra cost restaurants, etc, etc.   As to the crew=== the regular staff live in slightly better accommodations than in the Navy.  The entertainers, for example, live in regular cabins and are always coming on and off the ships/  All of the people are obviously making enough money compared with what they could be making in their own countries.  I do not feel sorry for the staff or feel they are exploited.  Because why would so many of them be sailing for decades?  Are there bad ships that treat everyone in a bad manner-  I suppose there are.  But I haven't seen much mistreatment of staff  on all my cruises.

[Ausmumof3]

26 minutes ago, TravelingChris said:

Dh and I were on a cruise to the Madeira Island and Canary Islands in October.  The cruise ship had a video of a new ship of theirs being built and the cost of the ship alone was astronomical.  We decided to do the calculations and we figured out that they can make good returns even with ships costing one billion dollars and so many crew members and all the food and supplies.  A lot of the guests get much more expensive lodgings than we ever do.  A lot of the guests on that ship bought $95/day premium liquor packages===my dh refused to buy either the premium or the non premium alcoholic drink package because he didn't want to have any incentive to over drink.  There was no way he would ever drink $95 a day of alcoholic drinks.  He did much better by buying a bottle of wine that lasted two dinners  and then buying one or two drinks extra.  But we, as Americans, were the exception.  The British were all buying the expensive drink packages.  There are many other ways the companies earn money from spas, beauty treatments, shops, extra cost restaurants, etc, etc.   As to the crew=== the regular staff live in slightly better accommodations than in the Navy.  The entertainers, for example, live in regular cabins and are always coming on and off the ships/  All of the people are obviously making enough money compared with what they could be making in their own countries.  I do not feel sorry for the staff or feel they are exploited.  Because why would so many of them be sailing for decades?  Are there bad ships that treat everyone in a bad manner-  I suppose there are.  But I haven't seen much mistreatment of staff  on all my cruises.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/aussie-cruise-ship-worker-reveals-dark-side-to-glamorous-industry/0e9d2190-fe3d-48bc-9093-4800ffd1bed6
here was the thing I was thinking of thought it’s probably a total side track from the topic 

anyway it wasn’t meant to be a guilt trip or anything like that just in case it came over like that.  When I said i wasn’t a cruising person it wasn’t anything to do with that just that it’s not something we’ve done, we’ve done a lot of road tripping and caravan holidays instead.  

 

[Katy]

10 hours ago, I talk to the trees said:

I really enjoyed that show, but golly! The writers did make very liberal use of f-bombs! 😳 Dd watched a couple of episodes with me, and enjoyed picking apart the science in the show! Note to self: Never watch hospital dramas with a nurse, or ReGenesis with a biology student. 😆Another note on the cast- quite a few of them were also in Orphan Black. 

 

Haha, I'm sorry I forgot the language!  I watched that show years ago when I was training for a long distance hike and doing several hours of long slow cardio every day, and only recently saw it on Amazon.  My parents were both in the Navy (and spoke like it) so I think I don't notice language as much unless my children are around. I used to be a nurse too, and I hate most hospital dramas (I yelled at the TV watching Grey's Anatomy every time I tried watching it), but that particular show I guess had enough new information/enjoyable content I ignored what was obviously wrong.

[Chris in VA]

17 hours ago, Terabith said:

Unless by intinction, they mean the priest/ deacon intincts the bread into the wine and puts it on the tongue of the parishioner, common cup with a silver cup is way, way less likely to transmit viruses than people intincting their own.  Many studies have been done about this.  This irritates me. 

Me, too. 

13 hours ago, Pen said:

 

Even intinction as I have usually experienced it could be an issue potentially, I think.  If person with contagious illness (coronavirus or others too) sneezes into hand, then receives first the wafer into that hand, then wafer is taken back and dipped into the wine, both the priest and other recipients down the line could be affected. Or if the communicant does the dipping then everyone else down line.

 It would be nice to know if alcohol at the level of what’s in Eucharist wine can kill such germs quickly.  I suspect not enough, quickly and reliably enough.  

I hope the priest is giving an already intincted wafer.  Which seems safer to me.  But I’ve never experienced it done that way.   

Do communion rails and so on get disinfected?   In general, if you know, not just your current cathedral. 

Yes, they served intinction by directly placing the dipped host onto the tongue (of course they were careful not to touch the mouths). They did it this way only for the comfort of people who might not receive from a common cup, not because they believe it transmits viruses. 

[Lanny]

On 2/2/2020 at 10:57 PM, Pen said:

My most recent news still gave 14 day quarantine, but only aliens who have American family or other ties can come if they have been in ? China ? In the last 2 weeks (so no Australians who have been to China recently, for example) making it clear to me it is about likelihood of potential exposure, not race. 

Also one new hospital is all done! 

It gave confirmed case number as over 17,000

https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/live-updates/china-coronavirus-outbreak-us-plans-wuhan-evacuation-death-toll-number-cases-rises-today-2020-01-28/

 

I have on my Windows Desktop a Shortcut to a tiny Text file. The name of the file is travelinformation.   DD had been interested in the possibility of going to China during the Summer 2020 break. Approximately 14 days ago, she told her Mom that was not going to happen.   

Way upthread, somewhere, is a post I made a week or 2 ago, linking to a FoxNews.com article by Marc Siegel, M.D.   If my memory is correct, he suspected (or knew) that this Coronavirus in China had been discovered approximately 12 months ago. Let us assume for a moment that he is correct about that. If that is true, they are way behind the 8 ball.

The way I am reading the current restrictions for Aliens to enter the USA, if they have been in China during the past 14 days they will not be admitted. ""Meanwhile, foreign nationals (other than immediate family members, American citizens, permanent residents, and flight crew) who have been in China within 14 days of their arrival to the U.S. will be denied entry into the country, the DHS said."

And that U.S. Citizens/Green Card holders who have been in/near Wuhan recently will be subject to an automatic 14 day quarantine upon returning to the USA. Those returning from other parts of China will self-quarantine (that's not the correct wording for restricting your activities and movements) for 14 days, as instructed upon entry to the USA.

Most people when tested don't have the Coronavirus, but some of those tested do have it and that's not comforting because to me it indicates that it is still spreading, as I type this on 04 February 2020.

[Ausmumof3]

23,649 cases.  490 deaths.

some local transmission in Singapore

[Terabith]

Doctor who first spread word on app now has coronavirus and is in ICU.  

[Pen]

5 hours ago, Lanny said:

 

I have on my Windows Desktop a Shortcut to a tiny Text file. The name of the file is travelinformation.   DD had been interested in the possibility of going to China during the Summer 2020 break. Approximately 14 days ago, she told her Mom that was not going to happen.   

Way upthread, somewhere, is a post I made a week or 2 ago, linking to a FoxNews.com article by Marc Siegel, M.D.   If my memory is correct, he suspected (or knew) that this Coronavirus in China had been discovered approximately 12 months ago. Let us assume for a moment that he is correct about that. If that is true, they are way behind the 8 ball.

The way I am reading the current restrictions for Aliens to enter the USA, if they have been in China during the past 14 days they will not be admitted. ""Meanwhile, foreign nationals (other than immediate family members, American citizens, permanent residents, and flight crew) who have been in China within 14 days of their arrival to the U.S. will be denied entry into the country, the DHS said."

And that U.S. Citizens/Green Card holders who have been in/near Wuhan recently will be subject to an automatic 14 day quarantine upon returning to the USA. Those returning from other parts of China will self-quarantine (that's not the correct wording for restricting your activities and movements) for 14 days, as instructed upon entry to the USA.

Most people when tested don't have the Coronavirus, but some of those tested do have it and that's not comforting because to me it indicates that it is still spreading, as I type this on 04 February 2020.

 

They are way behind the 8 ball regardless of when it was discovered. 

Clearly it’s very bad in the city of Wuhan, quite bad in Hubei province.

 I would hope control can be achieved before all of China is in the condition with regard to the virus that Wuhan is in now, and other parts of world in state Hubei is now.  I think that’s still possible.  But I think it is getting less likely as the virus seems to be hitching along on national and international travelers and getting past the the scramble to contain it.    

 

[Arcadia]

52 minutes ago, Terabith said:

Doctor who first spread word on app now has coronavirus and is in ICU.  

 

https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/03/asia/coronavirus-doctor-whistle-blower-intl-hnk/index.html

“Now recovering in a quarantine ward, Li said he was not sure if he was one of the eight "rumormongers." But he felt relieved after reading the Supreme Court commentary, taking it as a sign that the central government is against giving him a harsh punishment. 

On Li's Weibo, tens of thousands have left comments thanking him for speaking out and wishing him a speedy discovery.

"Dr Li, you're a good doctor with conscience. I hope you stay safe and sound," read one of the top-rated comments.”

[Arcadia]

From CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/04/johns-hopkins-dr-amesh-adalja-says-new-coronavirus-is-here-to-stay.html

“Johns Hopkins senior scholar Dr. Amesh Adalja told CNBC on Tuesday that the new coronavirus will likely cause yearly outbreaks, with most of the cases being mild.

“It’s going to become a part of our seasonal respiratory virus family that causes disease,” Adalja said on “Squawk Box.”

However, he expects the current outbreak to turn into a mild pandemic and spread further in the United States. Currently, there’s only 11 confirmed U.S. cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

China’s National Health Commission on Tuesday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases in the country to 20,900. The death toll rose to 425 there — with one fatality in the Philippines and one in Hong Kong. The World Health Organization said there’s been more than 150 coronavirus cases in about two dozen countries outside of China.

Many health professionals and analysts believe the number of cases to be much higher, which could bring the mortality rate below it’s current 2%.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told CNBC in recent days that they also believe the coronavirus outbreak will turn into a pandemic.

Health officials could declare a “pandemic” if the virus were to start to affect a larger number of people across the globe. The term epidemic is reserved for a more localized spread.

“It’s important that we get a handle on what the severity is and who has the risk factors, so that we can protect those individuals,” Adalja said. “Many people are going to get mild illness and it’s going to be more like a flu-like illness for many people but for some it may be very severe.”

Adalja compared the coronavirus to the 2009 H1N1 swine flu outbreak, which is now seen as a regular flu virus. The swine flu pandemic killed about 285,000 people at the time, but it had a low mortality rate. The 2002-2003 SARS outbreak saw 8,098 cases and 774 deaths. That was a mortality rate of 9.56%.

“There are probably a lot more people who were infected in China who have not been really counted ... because they were either asymptomatic or their symptoms were so light that they didn’t come to the attention of health authorities,” Fauci told CNBC on Monday.

Countries around the globe have responded to the coronavirus outbreak by putting preventative measures, such as travel restrictions, in place. Companies, including Starbucks and Apple, have temporarily closed some China operations.

The U.S. instituted on Sunday a mandatory 14-day quarantine of Americans who in the last two weeks have visited Hubei province in China, where the city of Wuhan, the center of the outbreak, is located. The Trump administration is also instructing Americans returning to the U.S. to undergo a two-week self quarantine if they have been in other parts of mainland China in the past two weeks.

However, Adalja said he’s not sure containment efforts will work, since it’s a respiratory virus that’s already in more than 20 countries. “That really argues against containment.”

Dr. Corey Hebert, assistant professor at both Louisiana State and Tulane universities, told CNBC earlier Tuesday that in order to help prevent the virus, people should wash their hands with hot water and soap, get a flu shot, avoid touching their face and wipe areas around them when travelling.”

[Arcadia]

@Pen @Ausmumof3

From CNA https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/japan-wuhan-coronavirus-cruise-ship-quarantine-virus-12393602

“TOKYO: At least 10 passengers on a cruise ship that Japan quarantined tested positive for the new coronavirus, the Japanese health minister said on Wednesday (Feb 5).

Japan has quarantined the vessel carrying 3,711 people and was testing those onboard the Diamond Princess for the virus after a former passenger was diagnosed with the illness in Hong Kong.

Health Minister Katsunobu Kato told reporters that specimens from more than 200 people were collected.

"From around 7.30am (2230 GMT Tuesday), we had them (the 10 who tested positive) get off the vessel, and with cooperation with the coastguard we are sending them to medical organisations," he said.

Health screening began on Tuesday for the passengers and crew after the Hong Kong passenger who sailed on the vessel last month tested positive for the novel coronavirus. 

The 80-year-old man flew to Japan and boarded the ship run by Carnival Japan Inc, in Yokohama on Jan 20 and disembarked in Hong Kong on Jan 25, the company said.

Japan was also preparing to expand the scope of its screening for the virus, and test criteria after initial tests failed to detect the virus in some people who were later found to be infected, the health minister told reporters.

Previously, the country had 20 confirmed coronavirus cases, with 17 of them having been in Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the epidemic began.

Japan on Saturday began refusing entry to foreigners who have been in Hubei province, where Wuhan is located, in the past 14 days as well as people with passports issued in Hubei province. 

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said he believed Japan's current restrictions on entry were appropriate, when asked at a news conference.

Suga said that as of Feb 3, eight foreigners had been barred from entering Japan.”

[Susan in TX]

Ten people on the cruise ship Diamond Princess in Japan have tested positive. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/04/princess-cruises-quarantines-3700-after-10-passengers-test-positive-for-virus.html?recirc=taboolainternal

Susan in TX

[Ausmumof3]

1 hour ago, Arcadia said:

@Pen @Ausmumof3

From CNA https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/japan-wuhan-coronavirus-cruise-ship-quarantine-virus-12393602

“TOKYO: At least 10 passengers on a cruise ship that Japan quarantined tested positive for the new coronavirus, the Japanese health minister said on Wednesday (Feb 5).

Japan has quarantined the vessel carrying 3,711 people and was testing those onboard the Diamond Princess for the virus after a former passenger was diagnosed with the illness in Hong Kong.

Health Minister Katsunobu Kato told reporters that specimens from more than 200 people were collected.

"From around 7.30am (2230 GMT Tuesday), we had them (the 10 who tested positive) get off the vessel, and with cooperation with the coastguard we are sending them to medical organisations," he said.

Health screening began on Tuesday for the passengers and crew after the Hong Kong passenger who sailed on the vessel last month tested positive for the novel coronavirus. 

The 80-year-old man flew to Japan and boarded the ship run by Carnival Japan Inc, in Yokohama on Jan 20 and disembarked in Hong Kong on Jan 25, the company said.

Japan was also preparing to expand the scope of its screening for the virus, and test criteria after initial tests failed to detect the virus in some people who were later found to be infected, the health minister told reporters.

Previously, the country had 20 confirmed coronavirus cases, with 17 of them having been in Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the epidemic began.

Japan on Saturday began refusing entry to foreigners who have been in Hubei province, where Wuhan is located, in the past 14 days as well as people with passports issued in Hubei province. 

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said he believed Japan's current restrictions on entry were appropriate, when asked at a news conference.

Suga said that as of Feb 3, eight foreigners had been barred from entering Japan.”

Does that mean everyone on the cruise ship has to stay in quarantine for 14 days?  How do they handle that logistically?

theres another cruise ship in limbo because they did a stop on China and now they keep getting turned away from poets etc.  I don’t know if they’ve managed to stop somewhere yet.

I have seen elsewhere that some people were getting negative test results at first then further testing revealed positive results.

Edited February 5, 2020 by Ausmumof3

[Ausmumof3]

I see they will be in quarantine.  They are going out to sea to perform routine marine operation then will remain alongside Yokohama for 14!  The next cruise is cancelled.  

Edited February 5, 2020 by Ausmumof3

[Arcadia]

12 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

theres another cruise ship in limbo because they did a stop on China and now they keep getting turned away from poets etc.  I don’t know if they’ve managed to stop somewhere yet.

BBC 30 January https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51314138

“Six thousand people on board a cruise ship in Italy have been allowed to disembark after health officials said a Chinese passenger who had symptoms of coronavirus had tested negative.

The 54-year-old as well as her husband were held in isolation on the ship but tests confirmed she was not infected.

...

The Costa Smeralda cruise ship docked in the port of Civitavecchia, north of Rome. The woman who was suspected of being infected had reportedly flown from Hong Kong to join the cruise, and broke out in a fever while on board.

Samples were taken to Rome's Spallanzani hospital, which specialises in infectious diseases, and returned negative, Italy's health ministry said.

Civitavecchia's mayor had asked authorities to prevent people from disembarking until medical tests had been carried out. Late on Thursday, passengers began getting off.

In a separate development, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte confirmed the first two cases of the virus in the country, involving two Chinese tourists, and stopped all flights between Italy and China.”

Adelaide Now Feb 4th https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/world/aussies-on-ship-rejected-from-philippines-as-cruise-industry-acts-on-coronavirus-threat/news-story/d9dd0237aa30840e85af3808d188a8f2

“February 4, 2020 1:38pm

A South Australian couple is among up to 2000 people stranded on a cruise ship in the South China Sea after it was refused entry to the Philippines after the country recorded the first coronavirus death outside China. 

David and Judy Holst, from Adelaide, were in the midst of a cruise through Asia on Holland America’s ship Westerdam when the journey was thwarted by the Philippines’ decision to temporarily ban travellers from China, Hong Kong and Macau.

The ship, which left Hong Kong on Saturday, was heading to Manila when the news came through.

“My wife and I were at dinner and I said, ‘The boat’s slowed down’,” Mr Holst told ABC Radio Adelaide.

“It obviously was and then a little while later an announcement came over the PA saying Manila has denied us entry.”

The decision from Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte came after the country recorded the first coronavirus death outside China.

The Westerdam was intended to end its journey in Shanghai but shifted plans to Yokohama (Tokyo) amid coronavirus fears.

The Westerdam was refused from making its scheduled stop in Manila.

A spokesperson for Holland America Line told news.com.au the company was “surprised” by the ruling by Philippines authorities.

“This is obviously a rapidly-evolving situation and we were also surprised by the decision from local authorities that we would not be able to call in Manila as had been previously confirmed,” the spokesperson said.

“This decision does not only apply to Holland America Line and we are continuing to work to provide the best experience we can for our guests in these unusual and rapidly evolving circumstances.

“We never want to disappoint our guests and appreciate their understanding that decisions by local authorities are beyond our control.”

Holland America Line said it was undertaking a range of measures in light of the coronavirus outbreak, including refusing boarding to passengers who had visited mainland China in the past two weeks, providing medical screening for passengers with respiratory illness, performing extra disinfection cleaning on-board and delaying crew members from mainland China from joining ships.

However Mr Holst told the ABC he was concerned the ship had stopped to pick up another 800 passengers in Hong Kong — even though Hong Kong does not have the same “do not travel” advice as mainland China.

Mr Holst said he was told to “be quiet and go away” when he raised his concerns with Holland America Line staff.

“I couldn’t believe that we were actually going to go there, but now the Philippines have implemented bans and we’ve had to do a U-turn,” he said.

“‘We’re always working in your best interests’ – that’s what Holland America keeps telling us – and I’m certainly scratching my head on that one.”

The Holland America Line spokesperson said the decision to continue with the ship’s call at Hong Kong on Saturday was “complex and thoroughly evaluated based on the information available at the time”.

“Hong Kong was (and still as at this time) considered a Watch Level 1 by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),” the spokesperson said, adding the rating meant travellers should “practice usual precautions”.

“Our medical experts are co-ordinating closely with both the CDC and the World Health Organisation (WHO) to implement enhanced screening, prevention and control measures for our ships globally.”

The Westerdam, which departed Hong Kong on Saturday, was meant to end its journey in Shanghai, but Holland America said last week the journey would avoid China and end in Japan instead.

It is due to arrive in the Taiwan port of Kaohsiung tomorrow.

ANOTHER SHIP REJECTED OVER ILLNESS FEARS

The ship’s ban comes as a different vessel with 3000 passengers on-board was refused entry at two Caribbean ports due to concerns over passengers with respiratory illnesses.

The AIDA Perla was turned away by officials in the island destinations of St Lucia and Dominica in the Caribbean over the weekend due to the “high number” of passengers on-board with respiratory tract infections.

It was first denied from docking at St Lucia’s capital Castries on Saturday, local time, before being refused at its next port, in Dominica, on Sunday.

The AIDA Perla’s owner AIDA Cruises told Fox News there was no evidence of coronavirus on-board.

It said the ship had not been granted clearance by officials out of an “abundance of caution” but “at no time were any cases of coronavirus suspected” by health officials.

The company said 20 of the 4384 passengers and crew members on-board were being treated for the common cold or flu.”

 

[Arcadia]

From Kron4 https://www.kron4.com/health/coronavirus/travis-air-force-base-is-1-of-4-coronavirus-quarantine-locations-in-us/

“Posted: Feb 4, 2020 / 07:05 AM PST / Updated: Feb 4, 2020 / 07:05 AM PST

FAIRFIELD (KRON) – Travis Air Force Base in Solano County and three other military bases nationwide have been chosen to house people who may require quarantine following overseas travel to China, according to U.S. Defense Officials. 

The other bases are: 

The 168th Regiment Regional Training Institute in Fort Carson, Colorado

Lackland Air Force Base in Bexar County, Texas

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California

While at this time there are currently no evacuees currently on base, Congressman John Garamendi (D-California) says people could be coming in hundreds. 

According to a military statement, the base will only provide housing for overseas travelers, with the Department of Health and Human Services responsible for providing care, transportation and security.

Officials added that personnel will not have direct contact with evacuees.

Travis Air Force Base currently offers about 1,800 family units where military spouses and children live, KTXL reports. 

A town hall was held Monday night, hosted by members of the CDC.”

[Ausmumof3]

2 of the 10 from the cruise ship are Australian.

the foreign secretary (?) of UK advised people to leave mainland China if possible.  I guess they are concerned after seeing how hard it was to get people out from Wuhan.  
 

NZ is also using a military base for their citizens and they are flying some Australians to NZ who will then be taken on a charter flight from there to Christmas Island.

I wonder what kind of plans etc business are making to deal with supply issues.

[Ausmumof3]

“Everyone on board the Diamond Princess had received initial health screening, Kato said, a process that identified 273 people for testing. Of that smaller group, 31 results had been received so far, revealing the 10 confirmed cases.”
 

looks like the 10 cases were out of 31 tests.  That would leave another 242 tests to come back.  
I don’t know what the criteria for testing would be whether it’s proximity or symptoms.

[Ausmumof3]

A couple more thoughts

Japan is at 33 cases now.  I wonder what kind of impact this might have on the Olympics.  I guess at a certain point if it’s not contained travel restrictions will be lifted anyway?

secondly what are air pollution levels like near Wuhan and would elevated levels increase the risk of a virus like this developing into pneumonia?

 

 

[Pen]

22 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

A couple more thoughts

Japan is at 33 cases now.  I wonder what kind of impact this might have on the Olympics.  I guess at a certain point if it’s not contained travel restrictions will be lifted anyway?

secondly what are air pollution levels like near Wuhan and would elevated levels increase the risk of a virus like this developing into pneumonia?

 

 

 

One  of my son’s teachers apparently taught there and said that pollution felt  to her like a continual mild  throat irritation — I was thinking that could add to not recognizing early mild symptoms of illness.  

Of perhaps for people who get headaches it would similarly be hard to distinguish headache related to pollution or whatever from an early viral symptom.

I think it is clear that compromised lungs will increase pulmonary complications, and that must be true from environmental pollution too, not just smoking.

[mommyoffive]

1 hour ago, Ausmumof3 said:

A couple more thoughts

Japan is at 33 cases now.  I wonder what kind of impact this might have on the Olympics.  I guess at a certain point if it’s not contained travel restrictions will be lifted anyway?

secondly what are air pollution levels like near Wuhan and would elevated levels increase the risk of a virus like this developing into pneumonia?

 

 

 

There are not travel restrictions to Japan right now right?   

I am only seeing 22 in Japan.  Where did you see 33?

Edited February 5, 2020 by mommyoffive

[Arcadia]

40 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

I am only seeing 22 in Japan.  Where did you see 33?

https://bnonews.com/index.php/2020/02/the-latest-coronavirus-cases/

[Ausmumof3]

1 hour ago, mommyoffive said:

 

There are not travel restrictions to Japan right now right?   

I am only seeing 22 in Japan.  Where did you see 33?

No travel restrictions to Japan I don’t think. Just an increasing number of cases.  I guess proximity makes it more likely?

[Ausmumof3]

The shops here were quieter than usual though it’s probably the time of year.  The travel agent was busy and there was only one kind of hand sanitiser left in the Kmart line.  All of those could most likely be coincidental.  

[Ausmumof3]

Apparently strategy is not to stop but to slow down progress of the virus.  I guess to allow time for treatments and vaccines to be developed.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/04/health/coronavirus-slow-strategy-cdc/index.html

Also the tests only give a probably negative.  In some cases there’s a negative later followed by a positive because the infection wasn’t established enough with the first test.  I guess that makes sense.

 

[Ausmumof3]

I see Amy Qin in Twitter says the gov are requisitioning her hotel to hold suspected patients.  So it seems like suspected patients will be going to hotels etc confirmed patients with mild symptoms to those giant arena and conference centres and then severe symptoms to the new hospital.  Apparently she’s a NY times correspondent.  I guess that seems like a logical way to handle things when the hospitals are overflowing.

 

 

Edited February 5, 2020 by Ausmumof3

[Ausmumof3]

https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-asia-china-51379088?__twitter_impression=true

[Ausmumof3]

2nd cruise ship with 1800 people being checked over off Hong Kong after three passengers who were previously on board were diagnosed with coronavirus

one more case in Queensland here linked to the same tour group.

cathay pacific asked their staff to take 3 weeks’ Unpaid leave 

Edited February 5, 2020 by Ausmumof3

[chiguirre]

2 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

cathay pacific asked their staff to take 3 weeks’ Unpaid leave 

Well aren't they upstanding corporate citizens? That makes me so angry. You were exposed to a pandemic at work, but we won't pay you during your quarantine time. Your rent, your groceries, that's on you.

[alewife]

 

Law Professor Francis Boyle drafted the US Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act of 1989 — signed into law by GHW Bush.  He has multiple degrees from Harvard and says he has been blackballed by the government and media since 9/11.  

Do any of you share his opinion about the Coronavirus situation? 

Dr. Francis Boyle discusses the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China and the Biosafety Level 4 laboratory (BSL-4) from which he believes the infectious disease escaped. He believes the virus is potentially lethal and an offensive biological warfare weapon or dual-use biowarfare weapons agent genetically modified with gain of function properties, which is why the Chinese government originally tried to cover it up and is now taking drastic measures to contain it. The Wuhan BSL-4 lab is also a specially designated World Health Organization (WHO) research lab and Dr. Boyle contends that the WHO knows full well what is occurring.

 

 

[Ausmumof3]

34 minutes ago, chiguirre said:

Well aren't they upstanding corporate citizens? That makes me so angry. You were exposed to a pandemic at work, but we won't pay you during your quarantine time. Your rent, your groceries, that's on you.

No not for staff exposed to the virus.  For all staff due to the massive drop in flights.  I think they are asking people to take rotating 3 weeks unpaid leave versus having to do lay offs.  Still absolutely stressful for staff though.  3 weeks without an income in the middle of what’s already chaotic.

[Lanny]

4 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

No not for staff exposed to the virus.  For all staff due to the massive drop in flights.  I think they are asking people to take rotating 3 weeks unpaid leave versus having to do lay offs.  Still absolutely stressful for staff though.  3 weeks without an income in the middle of what’s already chaotic.

 

Yes. There have been a huge number of protests and demonstrations and disruptions in Hong Kong for the past 12 months or so. Their airlines were in deep stuff, before Coronavirus became headline news.

[Ausmumof3]

38 minutes ago, alewife said:

 

Law Professor Francis Boyle drafted the US Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act of 1989 — signed into law by GHW Bush.  He has multiple degrees from Harvard and says he has been blackballed by the government and media since 9/11.  

Do any of you share his opinion about the Coronavirus situation? 

Dr. Francis Boyle discusses the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China and the Biosafety Level 4 laboratory (BSL-4) from which he believes the infectious disease escaped. He believes the virus is potentially lethal and an offensive biological warfare weapon or dual-use biowarfare weapons agent genetically modified with gain of function properties, which is why the Chinese government originally tried to cover it up and is now taking drastic measures to contain it. The Wuhan BSL-4 lab is also a specially designated World Health Organization (WHO) research lab and Dr. Boyle contends that the WHO knows full well what is occurring.

 

 

I don’t know anything about the guy but a quick read through on wiki sounds like he has quite a few conspiracy theory type views on things to put it mildly. 

ive seen a lot of conspiracy theories about this.  The most out there one was blaming it all on 5g.  There’s also a lot of people putting a religious slant on it.  Either it’s allahs punishment on China for their treatment of the Uighur muslims, the beginning of the apocalypse or a punishment on people for eating meat.

I don’t think we know enough about where it started to really say much yet.  Sounds like there’s a strong chance it predates the meat market connection but don’t know any more.

[Arcadia]

From Reuters https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-infant/mothers-may-pass-coronavirus-to-unborn-children-say-chinese-doctors-state-tv-idUSKBN1ZZ1C3

“SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Pregnant women infected with the new coronavirus may be able to pass it to their unborn children, doctors at the Wuhan Children Hospital said on Wednesday, according to state broadcaster CCTV. 

The doctors said it was possible after an infected coronavirus patient gave birth to a baby on Feb. 2. The newborn was given a test 30 hours later and confirmed to have the virus, the doctors said. 

Wuhan city is the epicenter of the outbreak that has since spread across China and overseas. In mainland China, it has killed 490 people and 24,324 infection cases have been confirmed. 

The newborn has stable vital signs and no fever or cough, but was experiencing shortness of breath, the doctors said. Chest x-rays showed signs of infection and there were some abnormalities in liver functions.

“This reminds us to pay attention to mother-to-child being a possible route of coronavirus transmission,” said the chief physician of Wuhan Children Hospital’s neonatal medicine department, Zeng Lingkong.”

[Lanny]

The U.S. Government has operated 2 more Charter flights from Wuhan to California. There are approximately 350 U.S. Citizens who paid to be on the flights. They are in Travis Air Force Base in California. 1/2 of them will stay there (it's well located, just East of the San Francisco Bay area in case anyone should need advanced medical care at the UCSF Medical School) and the others will go to San Diego, after their aircraft is refueled and serviced. Each of the 4 bases can accommodate up to 250 evacuees.

https://www.foxnews.com/health/american-coronavirus-evacuees-china-land-california-military-base

ETA: They are hoping to operate another evacuation Charter, possibly tomorrow. 

Edited February 5, 2020 by Lanny
Add ETA

[Arcadia]

1 hour ago, chiguirre said:

Well aren't they upstanding corporate citizens? That makes me so angry. You were exposed to a pandemic at work, but we won't pay you during your quarantine time. Your rent, your groceries, that's on you.

 

30 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

No not for staff exposed to the virus.  For all staff due to the massive drop in flights.  I think they are asking people to take rotating 3 weeks unpaid leave versus having to do lay offs.  Still absolutely stressful for staff though.  3 weeks without an income in the middle of what’s already chaotic.

 

Cathay Pacific was financially impacted by the Hong Kong riots prior to the wuhan coronavirus. The virus actually put a temporary stop to rioting.

Hong Kong medical staff is still on strike.

ETA:

link on Cathay Pacific need for staff to take unpaid leave https://www.bbc.com/news/business-51383284

Edited February 5, 2020 by Arcadia

[Pen]

My son told me a schoolmate whose mother is a nurse says she’s worked with “the coronavirus”  patients and it’s not a big deal.

Unless she has travelled somewhere else, like at least Seattle, or better Hubei, to help out, she certainly hasn’t worked with this particular Wuhan Novel Coronavirus  

I found that distribution of probable misinformation very worrisome. 

 

[mommyoffive]

11 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

A couple more thoughts

Japan is at 33 cases now.  I wonder what kind of impact this might have on the Olympics.  I guess at a certain point if it’s not contained travel restrictions will be lifted anyway?

secondly what are air pollution levels like near Wuhan and would elevated levels increase the risk of a virus like this developing into pneumonia?

 

 

 

Wasn't Zika a big deal when it was going on int South America?   I am sure it will impact, but I bet they will go one. 

 

[mommyoffive]

8 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

From Reuters https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-infant/mothers-may-pass-coronavirus-to-unborn-children-say-chinese-doctors-state-tv-idUSKBN1ZZ1C3

“SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Pregnant women infected with the new coronavirus may be able to pass it to their unborn children, doctors at the Wuhan Children Hospital said on Wednesday, according to state broadcaster CCTV. 

The doctors said it was possible after an infected coronavirus patient gave birth to a baby on Feb. 2. The newborn was given a test 30 hours later and confirmed to have the virus, the doctors said. 

Wuhan city is the epicenter of the outbreak that has since spread across China and overseas. In mainland China, it has killed 490 people and 24,324 infection cases have been confirmed. 

The newborn has stable vital signs and no fever or cough, but was experiencing shortness of breath, the doctors said. Chest x-rays showed signs of infection and there were some abnormalities in liver functions.

“This reminds us to pay attention to mother-to-child being a possible route of coronavirus transmission,” said the chief physician of Wuhan Children Hospital’s neonatal medicine department, Zeng Lingkong.”

 

Oh that poor mom and baby.