News on the Westerdam

[Floridiana]

1 hour ago, Mandalay1903 said:

Reuters' source seems to be a statement from the Malaysian health ministry.

 

I see western news picking up the number three, and a Malaysian outlet again 2 new cases.  I am going to wait and see until a new statement comes directly from the Health Ministry. 

[kazu]

It’s been published on Bloomberg News - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-15/american-passenger-on-westerdam-cruise-contracted-coronavirus

[cruiseing marly]

5 minutes ago, kazu said:

It’s been published on Bloomberg News - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-15/american-passenger-on-westerdam-cruise-contracted-coronavirus

Why is the testing period so much different in Malaysia than in Japan. And in the rest of the world. I do think the wording the press should be using is suspected case!! The  science does not seem  to be appropriate . Im hoping they are wrong with their diagnoses . Other wise this well speed up the spreed !!

[Fredric22]

4 minutes ago, cruiseing marly said:

Why is the testing period so much different in Malaysia than in Japan. And in the rest of the world. I do think the wording the press should be using is suspected case!! The  science does not seem  to be appropriate . Im hoping they are wrong with their diagnoses . Other wise this well speed up the spreed !!

And we also do not know how accurate the testing is and it distinguishing between the many other types of Coronavirus that are in existence.  

[HappyInVan]

Japan is going to be vindicated. Hopefully, everyone is finally going to take it seriously.

[kathy49]

Have been traveling today and amazed how lax us is...people all over coughing sneezing into food at delta sky club flight attendant coughing into food ..on and on..I watched those people coming off west.  Yesterday...No masks.  Hugs all over hand shaking with crew and then a flight to take them to scheduled flights all over including USA? hAL is trying to cur their losses..princess is doing the right thing for world health

Edited February 15, 2020 by kathy49

[Twolittleboys]

13 minutes ago, HappyInVan said:

Japan is going to be vindicated. Hopefully, everyone is finally going to take it seriously.

 

I honestly don't see why you would think this is not being taken seriously enough. It is in all the news and countries all over the world are taking drastic action. Not saying this is not indicated but not sure how much more seriously it could be taken...

[HappyInVan]

18 minutes ago, Fredric22 said:

And we also do not know how accurate the testing is and it distinguishing between the many other types of Coronavirus that are in existence.  

 

"Malaysian health authorities said airport screening discovered the US couple to have “symptoms”.
They were then sent to a hospital on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. A test for the coronavirus came back positive for the 83-year-old woman on Saturday.
Her husband tested negative although he remains hospitalised for observation."

 

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3050814/coronavirus-us-passenger-westerdam-cruise-ship-infected

 

[bcummin]

24 minutes ago, cruiseing marly said:

Why is the testing period so much different in Malaysia than in Japan. And in the rest of the world. I do think the wording the press should be using is suspected case!! The  science does not seem  to be appropriate . Im hoping they are wrong with their diagnoses . Other wise this well speed up the spreed !!

 

Surely Malaysia will confirm the diagnosis for the hospitalized woman.

Prayers for all concerned.

Barbara

[HappyInVan]

21 minutes ago, Twolittleboys said:

 

I honestly don't see why you would think this is not being taken seriously enough. It is in all the news and countries all over the world are taking drastic action. Not saying this is not indicated but not sure how much more seriously it could be taken...

 

 

80% of infected are said to show minor symptoms. These minor discomforts can be disguised by cold/flu medication. So, clinical (visual) inspections will only catch the seriously ill.

 

A person can seem fine when they get off a ship or aircraft. But, they will get diagnosed once the body is in the later stages of infection.

 

The big worry is that some of the infected may not advance to the final stages, but may remain mildly contagious. Once you have multiple carriers in the general population, the only way to stop it is to shut down cities for two weeks every time the disease surfaces. Or, force everyone to wear masks in public.

 

That's what the Chinese government is doing in Wuhan. That's what the Japanese government is trying to avoid.

 

The Westerdam did not go into quarantine at the beginning of the cruise. Cambodian VIPs and the US Ambassador greeted the pax when the ship docked in Cambodia. This is a sneaky bug. This could be the game changer for the travel industry.

 

 

[AncientWanderer]

17 minutes ago, HappyInVan said:

 

 

80% of infected are said to show minor symptoms. These minor discomforts can be disguised by cold/flu medication. So, clinical (visual) inspections will only catch the seriously ill.

 

A person can seem fine when they get off a ship or aircraft. But, they will get diagnosed once the body is in the later stages of infection.

 

The big worry is that some of the infected may not advance to the final stages, but may remain mildly contagious. Once you have multiple carriers in the general population, the only way to stop it is to shut down cities for two weeks every time the disease surfaces. Or, force everyone to wear masks in public.

 

That's what the Chinese government is doing in Wuhan. That's what the Japanese government is trying to avoid.

 

The Westerdam did not go into quarantine at the beginning of the cruise. Cambodian VIPs and the US Ambassador greeted the pax when the ship docked in Cambodia. This is a sneaky bug. This could be the game changer for the travel industry.

 

 

 

The bolding there is mine.

I've lost track.  Didn't the Westerdam have one port stop -- a day somewhere in Taiwan -- or am I mistaken about that?

[Moparop]

Just now, AncientWanderer said:

 

The bolding there is mine.

I've lost track.  Didn't the Westerdam have one port stop -- a day somewhere in Taiwan -- or am I mistaken about that?

there was one port stop in Taiwan. 

[AncientWanderer]

 

2 minutes ago, Moparop said:

there was one port stop in Taiwan. 

 

Thanks.  

That complicates matters further, I suppose.

[cruiseing marly]

I read facebook posts that are saying the Westerdam passengers are not being accepted by some airports and being sent back to Cambodia . I was wondering why they were didn't charter planes to the main destinations . Then those countries would had the option to quarantine them if appropriate . Thats what would have made the most sense to me. Or they could have Quarantined them on the ship . 

 

[BarbarianPaul]

1 hour ago, Viv0828 said:

 

if that is so and it's old news, what is going to happen with the feb 29 cruise of the westerdam that was going to primarily japanese ports? if the cruise happens, where will it go?

Very hard for me to believe the Feb. 29 cruise will happen in light of this news. And if, in fact, “patient zero” did spread the virus to a number of passengers who recently disembarked, I think that brings up a number of questions.

[freetalkfreelaugh]

If there was only 1 port in Taiwan where would they have contracted the virus. 

[kazu]

28 minutes ago, Moparop said:

there was one port stop in Taiwan. 

 

I thought Taiwan refused them?  I don’t recall them being accepted anywhere?

 

They were supposed to disembark there and were refused.

[Twolittleboys]

49 minutes ago, HappyInVan said:

 

 

80% of infected are said to show minor symptoms. These minor discomforts can be disguised by cold/flu medication. So, clinical (visual) inspections will only catch the seriously ill.

 

A person can seem fine when they get off a ship or aircraft. But, they will get diagnosed once the body is in the later stages of infection.

 

The big worry is that some of the infected may not advance to the final stages, but may remain mildly contagious. Once you have multiple carriers in the general population, the only way to stop it is to shut down cities for two weeks every time the disease surfaces. Or, force everyone to wear masks in public.

 

That's what the Chinese government is doing in Wuhan. That's what the Japanese government is trying to avoid.

 

The Westerdam did not go into quarantine at the beginning of the cruise. Cambodian VIPs and the US Ambassador greeted the pax when the ship docked in Cambodia. This is a sneaky bug. This could be the game changer for the travel industry.

 

 

I agree (and am aware of most of what you said above). However, as to the last paragraph I am not sure I agree. Up to now there was no clear indication that the virus was on the ship. I understand that it is sneaky and hard to detect and that there is a chance of someone on the ship having it. However, the same can be said for anyone in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan, etc. They might have had contact with a sick person and have become infected. There was no more reason to "suspect" the Westerdam than any other ship/plane/traveller from these areas.

[Twolittleboys]

5 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

I thought Taiwan refused them?  I don’t recall them being accepted anywhere?

 

They were supposed to disembark there and were refused.

 

I also thought the only real problem was that passengers embarked in Hong Kong...

[AncientWanderer]

4 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

I thought Taiwan refused them?  I don’t recall them being accepted anywhere?

 

They were supposed to disembark there and were refused.

 

Kazu, I looked back at the roll call for the cruise.  A passenger posted that they spent one day in Taiwan and then were "kicked out" for the rest of their anticipated days there.  

It does look like they had that one port stop.  

[Hlitner]

11 minutes ago, BarbarianPaul said:

Very hard for me to believe the Feb. 29 cruise will happen in light of this news. And if, in fact, “patient zero” did spread the virus to a number of passengers who recently disembarked, I think that brings up a number of questions.

Yes, many very serious implications, not the least of which is that over a thousand folks are moving through the world transportation system and may be carrying the virus.  And you also have the more then 700 crew members who may have been exposed.   Here is a link to the original Reuters report

 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-malaysia/american-from-cruise-ship-docked-in-cambodia-tests-positive-in-malaysia-for-coronavirus-idUSKBN2090IW

 

Hank

[kazu]

3 minutes ago, AncientWanderer said:

 

Kazu, I looked back at the roll call for the cruise.  A passenger posted that they spent one day in Taiwan and then were "kicked out" for the rest of their anticipated days there.  

It does look like they had that one port stop.  

 

Thanks.  My memory is getting short, I guess.

I remember that now.  Much appreciated 🙂 

[SumoCitrus]

Terrible news about Westerdam. Can someone post its itinerary so we can see where it has been? Sounds like the incubation period might be longer than 14 days.

Edited February 15, 2020 by SumoCitrus

[Mandalay1903]

Pasted from HAL's Westerdam blog on their site:

 

Update: 2/15/2020 10:40 am Pacific Time
While the first results have been reported, they are preliminary at this point and we are awaiting secondary testing for confirmation.

We are working with officials in Malaysia, Cambodia and the U.S. CDC as is standard.

On Feb. 10 all 2,257 passengers and crew on board Westerdam were temperature-tested and not one person had an elevated temperature. Disembarking guests also completed a written health questionnaire and the passports of everyone on board were reviewed to ensure no one had traveled through mainland China in the prior 14 days. During the voyage there was no indication of Covid-19 on the ship.

Westerdam is alongside in Sihanoukville Cambodia with 236 guests and 747 crew on board. The remainder of guests from the voyage departed Sihanoukville via charter flights to Phnom Penh yesterday and today and are in various stages of transit home.

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/blog/ships/ms-westerdam/statement-regarding-westerdam-in-japan/

Edited February 15, 2020 by Mandalay1903

[Rowsby]

16 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Yes, many very serious implications, not the least of which is that over a thousand folks are moving through the world transportation system and may be carrying the virus.  And you also have the more then 700 crew members who may have been exposed.   Here is a link to the original Reuters report

 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-malaysia/american-from-cruise-ship-docked-in-cambodia-tests-positive-in-malaysia-for-coronavirus-idUSKBN2090IW

 

Hank

 

This is so potentially awful.........