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Grand Princess Coronavirus Discussion (retitled after merger of several topics)


4cats4me
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3 hours ago, clskinsfan said:

Dr. Antony Fauci this morning:

 

“If you're a person with an underlying condition and you are particularly an elderly person with an underlying condition, you need to think twice about getting on a plane, on a long trip,” he said. “And not only think twice, just don't get on a cruise ship.”

 

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/08/coronavirus-dont-get-on-cruise-ship-123718

Thank you for posting this!  Do we know what is considered “elderly” in this context?  The reason I ask is that I remember reading something on these boards about information  from Wuhan indicating increased risk after age 40. 😳.
 

And the point has been made here many times over, that even if you are not in a high risk group, you need to consider whether or not you can afford a possible two week quarantine.

 

The other question I have is where are all of these test kits coming from?  I understand this is a priority, but I live in the East Bay, down the highway from where the Grand will be docking, in Alameda County.  My friend’s elderly mom was on the Grand sailing to Mexico before this Hawai’i cruise.  She has been sick with cold and flu-like symptoms since her return, which are now getting better.  When she heard the news about the Placerville passenger on her sailing having passed away, she contacted her doctor, and was told she didn’t meet the criteria for being tested, but she could call county health.  There she was informed there is a shortage of tests.  She still has not been tested, and of great concern to her are the people who have been exposed to her since her return. To clarify, because she wasn’t feeling well, she hasn’t been out and about, but she has still been around family members whose jobs entail working with the public in schools, grocery stores, etc.

 

 

 

 

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1 minute ago, ams cruiser said:

Thank you for posting this!  Do we know what is considered “elderly” in this context?  The reason I ask is that I remember reading something on these boards about information  from Wuhan indicating increased risk after age 40. 😳.
 

And the point has been made here many times over, that even if you are not in a high risk group, you need to consider whether or not you can afford a possible two week quarantine.

 

The other question I have is where are all of these test kits coming from?  I understand this is a priority, but I live in the East Bay, down the highway from where the Grand will be docking, in Alameda County.  My friend’s elderly mom was on the Grand sailing to Mexico before this Hawai’i cruise.  She has been sick with cold and flu-like symptoms since her return, which are now getting better.  When she heard the news about the Placerville passenger on her sailing having passed away, she contacted her doctor, and was told she didn’t meet the criteria for being tested, but she could call county health.  There she was informed there is a shortage of tests.  She still has not been tested, and of great concern to her are the people who have been exposed to her since her return. To clarify, because she wasn’t feeling well, she hasn’t been out and about, but she has still been around family members whose jobs entail working with the public in schools, grocery stores, etc.

 

 

 

 

Elderly has been defined (in the case of COVID-19) as 60+.  The rate of serious complications/death takes a big jump at 60-69 and an even bigger jump at 70+.

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57 minutes ago, debsjc said:

I know the first day they tested 46 people, and we know those results. I thought we heard that they returned the next day and did a further 45-40 tests ..... has anyone heard about those? 

They did not return a second date so I believe the second group has not been tested.

 

58 minutes ago, debsjc said:

I know the first day they tested 46 people, and we know those results. I thought we heard that they returned the next day and did a further 45-40 tests ..... has anyone heard about those? 

 

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47 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

I wonder why the crew will be quarantined on board -- we've already seen that a ship is not a good quarantine facility.   Also, since they made a big point of saying the ship will not be docked during the crew quarantine, who will be preparing meals for the crew, delivering them, etc.?   And will there be sufficient, trained medical staff on board to take care of the crew?

 

This just a guess - most of the crew aren't US citizens and the US doesn't want to cover the cost of their treatment and quarantine or have them count towards the "numbers".  If they are onboard, Princess is still responsible for them?  And how would all those people get back to their home countries?

Edited by CruisinCrow
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1 hour ago, nooptere said:

No worries, soon enough you'll have your "home test kits"...LOL

https://komonews.com/news/coronavirus/gates-foundation-to-help-with-coronavirus-testing-in-seattle

 

The article makes it sound like a simple nose swab.

 

The samples taken on the Princess ships so far require the sampling tube to go all the way up your a nostril and then curve down towards the throat and go near there to get a sample that can be used.

 

I doubt very many people can do this own their own without a trained medical professional.

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2 hours ago, PekingeseLady said:

What does anyone know about the Grands disembarkation?  Are they going to test everyone before they disperse them around the US?  I've been reading a lot of blogs and articles, know they are going to Oakland but thats it.

 

They are going to go to Federally operated isolation facilities for testing and isolation.

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5 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

The article makes it sound like a simple nose swab.

 

The samples taken on the Princess ships so far require the sampling tube to go all the way up your a nostril and then curve down towards the throat and go near there to get a sample that can be used.

 

I doubt very many people can do this own their own without a trained medicval professional.

 

I'm betting these will be to catch those who are already very symptomatic but who haven't made it in the system yet...so, they get a test and can get medical then...the belief probably is that we'll have more "down the dangerous" path before we have enough of the normal tests, so to try to help them, we make it simple and not perfect - the 95% solution - which also does not put any medical at risk while it's being taken...

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7 minutes ago, brisalta said:

 

They are going to go to Federally operated isolation facilities for testing and isolation.

Yep, they are basically going to same places that the people who were evacuated from China by airplane went to. 

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Regarding the amount of food onboard:  I was on a cruise out of Galveston shortly after Hurricane Katrina, and while we were mid-cruise, Hurricane Rita came roaring towards the Galveston coast.  We ended up tootling around in the Caribbean for 4 extra days (11 instead of 7) and there was plenty of food around. The bananas started getting a little brown towards the end, but that was it.

 

I heard at the time that ships carry enough food for several weeks, even on shorter hops.  So I doubt it's a problem relating to amount of food on board, but rather the distribution.

 

On the Grand, there's a higher proportion of crew positive for COVID-19, and maybe they're already trying to sequester crew who have been exposed to the 19 (still onboard, as far as I know) infected crew members. It's unnerving that those who are positive have not been taken off. It seems as if  in Japan, those who were positive were speedily removed?

 

What a nightmare. I feel for everyone involved!

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42 minutes ago, Bedruthen said:

Not necessarily. We are over 60 and on the surface we both appear healthy. But I have a rare auto immune condition, affecting my lungs,  which is currently dormant and I am in remission. My consultant cannot tell me what the repercussions for me would be if I caught Covid-19, it might flare my immune system and cause problems, or it might not. My husband had cancer surgery 3 years ago and 3 monthly testing shows he is clear, but again no one can tell us if he has an added risk factor because of his previous history. We would probably be deemed fit to travel as we are currently asymptotic. Do we want to travel? Hell no. 

You actually are proving his point that people know if they are healthy enough for travel. 

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3 hours ago, arabrab said:

 

I learned something new.  So, do ships have a Q flag even today? Will they raise it when they come into harbor?

 

2 hours ago, NorthwestCruiser said:

Yes, you fly it until you clear customs at a foreign port.   What constitutes "foreign" is a little squishy around here, in my experience a US  yacht flying the Q flag on entry to Canada would be considered a bit old fashioned or picky, like those who the daylight black ball signal at anchor (which big ships do.)   We do have to clear customs, etc, a lot of which is done by phone now.

While all ships will have a "Quebec" (phonetic Q) flag as part of the required signal flag set, raising the Q flag has gone out of use for decades.  I'm sure yachts still use it, but I haven't seen or heard of a commercial ship using it in over 30 years.  Most clearance is done either electronically or via the ship's agent.  While today in many countries, the Public Health function is also covered by Customs, the Q flag is not until "cleared customs", but as a warning to other ships and boats to keep clear until the Public Health has given the ship a clean bill of health.

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3 hours ago, Outerdog said:

Cruise ships stock food for the next 2 to 3 cruises in most cases.

 

There is no merit to stories claiming the ship is out of food / rationing food. Ridiculous.

 

From https://twitter.com/keaneli (1 hour ago - 0828 PST)

 

While I also don't believe in the food shortage, cruise ships do not stock 2-3 cruises worth of food.  They will generally have enough food for 5-7 days beyond the end of the cruise, and some dry stores can last longer, but produce may start to get in short supply.

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4 minutes ago, NorthwestCruiser said:

It might make a comeback...   But in smaller countries I believe they still enforce it at least for yachts, although whether this is a practice that really conforms to IMO regs or is just a way of getting more income (from fines) is an exercise left to the reader.

The real meaning of "Quebec" is "I request free pratique" (I am requesting permission to enter port (pratique) as I have a clean bill of health).  As another poster mentioned, while in port the "Lima" flag means "I am under quarantine" (at sea it has a different meaning).

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We know that at least two dining room waiters were infected by the coronavirus. If Princess is (hopefully!) not allowing anyone who interacted with them closely to prepare or serve food-- my guess is that they would be shorthanded on people who know how to cook and plate meals (as well as serve them!), and might also partially explain some of the reports we are seeing on board.

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Grand Princess will dock in Oakland tomorrow.  Apologies if this has already been discussed.  
wonder if I’ll be able to see her sail in, since I do have a view of the Port of Oakland. 

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So listening to this, California is doing everything they possibly can to keep the evac "sterile" - as in, no cross contamination of folks from the boat vs. regular California residents. A logistical nightmare. Probably costing a fortune too. 2-3 day process to get all passengers off. 

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3 hours ago, glam mistress said:

A few things:

 

1. I am VERY worried about the crew. I hope they will be well cared for and not just floating somewhere...becoming another Diamond Princess without access to shoreside meals and medics. 

2. This sucks, but I do think cruises (out of the US at least) need to be halted for the next 3 weeks. Otherwise this stuff is just going to keep happening. We have to worry about medical facilities and their increased strain. We know a couple on the Grand are both nurses. They will not be able to go back to work for quite some time now, etc. 

3. I saw this Tweet Friday night, complaining about food. I do not think folks aboard are making things up. I do believe the meals are sparse, I think the crew is taxed. Which to me sounds like they've tried to take some of the crew out of work rotation. Social distancing maybe?

 

 

Looks like they ate dessert first!

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1 minute ago, Oceansaway17 said:

Yes I found it and the story keeps growing. 

Now they have to round up all the Grand folks from Mexico trip or things will spread fast.

 

 

I don’t think the will round us up at this point.  We are past the 14 day incubation period.  We have already been contacted by Princess and by our county health departments on what to do if we have symptoms.

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