To Vax or not to Vax.... Would you cruise

[TeeRick]

15 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Can’t wait to board a totally vaccinated ship!    I believe the scientists who came up with the vaccines in record time should get Noble Peace Prizes!    Now some of the same scientists have a vaccine, much like the current COVID vaccines, that works against childhood leukemia.    Hopefully they can modify it to work against other cancers.

Maybe not the Nobel Peace Prize.  But maybe the Nobel Prize in Medicine.  The two professors at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School (one now at BioNTech) whose work lead to the mRNA vaccines are being considered for a Nobel Prize.

[Saturngrl]

17 hours ago, neilrr said:

Unfortunately, those little cards are being reproduced in Miami for $15 a pop. They need to create a national or state wide accessible database of those who has received the vaccine. They already have it in a database somewhere beside the little white card. This will probably have to come at a national level otherwise, I do not believe other countries will let us in on our good looks...😁 Well maybe.. Time will tell... 

 

I can also show them my childhood vaccinations on a loose leaf paper my mother gave me and I still have to this day. I guess we have not come that far in technology in 60 years...LOL

I have worked at numerous vaccination sites.  I have done several of the jobs, including greeting, observing the post-15 minute injection time and mostly, the data entry time.   Yes, Florida has a database for those vaccinated.   I hope the cruise lines would be able to access those records which could be validated with passport ID at time of check-in.  

 

For those who are vaccinated, please do not post a photo of your card on social media!   This is an easy way for the hackers to create false vaccine cards!  

[OZ.]

I also hope proof will be required and the cruise isn’t cut short due to an outbreak. I haven’t read about what will happen if there is an outbreak on board and if there is a certain percentage threshold that would make the ship return to port.

[Fouremco]

1 hour ago, Saturngrl said:

I have worked at numerous vaccination sites.  I have done several of the jobs, including greeting, observing the post-15 minute injection time and mostly, the data entry time.   Yes, Florida has a database for those vaccinated.   I hope the cruise lines would be able to access those records which could be validated with passport ID at time of check-in.  

 

For those who are vaccinated, please do not post a photo of your card on social media!   This is an easy way for the hackers to create false vaccine cards!  

There are far too many security and privacy issues surrounding foreign commercial companies having direct access to government medical databases, so I personally hope that cruise lines will never acquire access to Floridian or any other government databases. On a practical note, with each of the 56 US states, federal district and occupied territories having databases that are probably very different in structure and access methodology, I doubt that Celebrity has the IT chops to develop the necessary interface. And the US is only one country, and Celebrity would need to be able to access this information from databases around the world if this is to be the means it employs to verify vaccinations. While it might arguably be one of the best ways to weed out fraudulent "proof" of vaccination, it's never going to happen IMO. Instead, I think that for the time being, cruise lines are going to rely on whatever documentation that passengers can provide and keep their fingers crossed that there aren't unvaccinated individuals among them. In the mean time, multilateral discussions to develop some form of internationally acceptable proof is ongoing.

[jgmorgan]

28 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

I doubt that Celebrity has the IT chops to develop the necessary interface.

Celebrity lacks IT acumen?  Surely you jest.

 

(Sorry, couldn't help myself.)

[GateGuardian]

Regardless of whether it is covid related or not. I'm all for getting as many passenger as healthy as possible. We all know it sucks when the trip is interrupted because we have to turn around or stop and airlift someone off the ship. 

 

Missed inside passage during my last Alaska trip.

[K.T.B.]

4 hours ago, jgmorgan said:

Celebrity lacks IT acumen?  Surely you jest.

 

(Sorry, couldn't help myself.)

 

Yes they do.

 

And don't call him Shirley.

[LGW59]

5 hours ago, Fouremco said:

There are far too many security and privacy issues surrounding foreign commercial companies having direct access to government medical databases, so I personally hope that cruise lines will never acquire access to Floridian or any other government databases. On a practical note, with each of the 56 US states, federal district and occupied territories having databases that are probably very different in structure and access methodology, I doubt that Celebrity has the IT chops to develop the necessary interface. And the US is only one country, and Celebrity would need to be able to access this information from databases around the world if this is to be the means it employs to verify vaccinations. While it might arguably be one of the best ways to weed out fraudulent "proof" of vaccination, it's never going to happen IMO. Instead, I think that for the time being, cruise lines are going to rely on whatever documentation that passengers can provide and keep their fingers crossed that there aren't unvaccinated individuals among them. In the mean time, multilateral discussions to develop some form of internationally acceptable proof is ongoing.

a required vaccine database will take care of the problem.  If you opt to not register, that is your right, but you cannot then board the ship

Edited May 5, 2021 by LGW59

[Fouremco]

32 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

a required vaccine database will take care of the problem.  If you opt to not register, that is your right, but you cannot then board the ship

Not sure what you are suggesting here. A cruise line vaccine database? If so, how do you register? And how would proof of vaccination as part of the registration process differ from proof of vaccination at the port? 

[LGW59]

2 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

Not sure what you are suggesting here. A cruise line vaccine database? If so, how do you register? And how would proof of vaccination as part of the registration process differ from proof of vaccination at the port? 

No I am suggesting a national vaccine database.  

[Fouremco]

Just now, LGW59 said:

No I am suggesting a national vaccine database.  

Maybe the privacy climate is different in the US, but in Canada there is no way that Celebrity or any other foreign enterprise would be allowed to access a national medical database, should one ever be created. And there remains the issue of the rest of the world. I just don't think that a database is the solution for a single tier approach, although cruise lines could go with one system for US passengers and a different system for others. 

 

With Celebrity cruises restarting next months, I suspect that whatever they have in place then will continue on for the mid-term. I'd be surprised if it went beyond having passengers present whatever documentation they were provided at the time of their vaccination. In the long-term, there are ongoing multilateral discussions on the need for an internationally accepted certificate or passport, including G7 deliberations earlier this week.

[LGW59]

2 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

Maybe the privacy climate is different in the US, but in Canada there is no way that Celebrity or any other foreign enterprise would be allowed to access a national medical database, should one ever be created. And there remains the issue of the rest of the world. I just don't think that a database is the solution for a single tier approach, although cruise lines could go with one system for US passengers and a different system for others. 

 

With Celebrity cruises restarting next months, I suspect that whatever they have in place then will continue on for the mid-term. I'd be surprised if it went beyond having passengers present whatever documentation they were provided at the time of their vaccination. In the long-term, there are ongoing multilateral discussions on the need for an internationally accepted certificate or passport, including G7 deliberations earlier this week.

I did not say or suggest Celebrity should have access to a database. If there were such a database, we could then decide with whom we want to share. Perhaps if one existed (I doubt it will) we could then have the option to to go in and then share, at our choice, with whom we decide. 

[cltnccruisers]

1. We were fully vaccinated in March.  Our cards are with our passports.  Our next scheduled cruise is an ABC in August.  We hope to go but still not holding our breath.  The CDC has proven to be FOS with Fauci being three bags full.  Common sense is out the window.  

[cltnccruisers]

I'm 66.  For me to start kindergarten I had to have been vaccinated for a few things.  Polio - not sure what else.  Is that information in a database?  How accessible is it?  Not sure I care at this point - just curious.

[CptBoatface]

Uncle Sam put a lot of vaccines in me. No fear of it and one more shot for me. More worried about a rat in the pudding causing a return to port or long stay while the authorities determine our fate. Packed on a boat

[LGW59]

13 minutes ago, cltnccruisers said:

I'm 66.  For me to start kindergarten I had to have been vaccinated for a few things.  Polio - not sure what else.  Is that information in a database?  How accessible is it?  Not sure I care at this point - just curious.

for those of us at a certain age, it is in a rolodex, I'm still OK with sharing it

[cltnccruisers]

11 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

for those of us at a certain age, it is in a rolodex, I'm still OK with sharing it

Only those of us of a certain age know what a rolodex is (was?).

 

[Luckiestmanonearth]

14 hours ago, K.T.B. said:

 

Yes they do.

 

And don't call him Shirley.

Never gets old 😂 

Do you realize that line is 41 years old now

Edited May 6, 2021 by Luckiestmanonearth

[Luckiestmanonearth]

On 5/5/2021 at 4:53 PM, LGW59 said:

No I am suggesting a national vaccine database.  

I agree but that seems to be a sensitive issue for some

I personally support that idea

[nocl]

On 5/5/2021 at 8:53 AM, Fouremco said:

There are far too many security and privacy issues surrounding foreign commercial companies having direct access to government medical databases, so I personally hope that cruise lines will never acquire access to Floridian or any other government databases. On a practical note, with each of the 56 US states, federal district and occupied territories having databases that are probably very different in structure and access methodology, I doubt that Celebrity has the IT chops to develop the necessary interface. And the US is only one country, and Celebrity would need to be able to access this information from databases around the world if this is to be the means it employs to verify vaccinations. While it might arguably be one of the best ways to weed out fraudulent "proof" of vaccination, it's never going to happen IMO. Instead, I think that for the time being, cruise lines are going to rely on whatever documentation that passengers can provide and keep their fingers crossed that there aren't unvaccinated individuals among them. In the mean time, multilateral discussions to develop some form of internationally acceptable proof is ongoing.

Under HIPAA neither the cruise lines nor any other company can have access to a database containing medical information.

 

However, if they (the cruiseline) have a signed release form from a passenger authorizing the release of their (the passengers) vaccination information, then they (the cruiseline) can request confirmation of their (the passengers) status from the entity that has that information.

Edited May 9, 2021 by nocl

[yorky]

We would be more than happy to see a National “Covid” Database, a bit of paper in any form was never going to work. We would only be looking to sail on ships that demand proof of vaccination that’s credible, not showing something that can be run off in seconds and purchased online for peanuts. A phone app that could easily be scanned would be a decent option.

[ch175]

4 hours ago, yorky said:

We would be more than happy to see a National “Covid” Database, a bit of paper in any form was never going to work. We would only be looking to sail on ships that demand proof of vaccination that’s credible, not showing something that can be run off in seconds and purchased online for peanuts. A phone app that could easily be scanned would be a decent option.

What other personal information would you like to see in that database? Unless you are 12 years old, you must realize that once such a database is created it is never going away.

[harkinmr]

9 minutes ago, ch175 said:

What other personal information would you like to see in that database? Unless you are 12 years old, you must realize that once such a database is created it is never going away.

It’s a COVID vaccine record. Not someone’s dirty little secrets for Pete’s sake.   Anybody that thinks that a good chunk of their personal data is not out there and accessible not only by the government, but by private companies, must be living high up on a mountain top with no phone, computer or any other electronic device. 

[Fouremco]

8 hours ago, nocl said:

Under HIPAA neither the cruise lines nor any other company can have access to a database containing medical information.

 

However, if they (the cruiseline) have a signed release form from a passenger authorizing the release of their (the passengers) vaccination information, then they (the cruiseline) can request confirmation of their (the passengers) status from the entity that has that information.

That's fine for US passengers, but regulations in other countries may be very different. When considering problems and solutions, a more global perspective is helpful.

[JRG]

1 hour ago, Fouremco said:

That's fine for US passengers, but regulations in other countries may be very different. When considering problems and solutions, a more global perspective is helpful.

 

True.

 

But surely you understand that having a global perspective means having a strong understanding of geography.   There are many people out there who don't even know the capital of their own country.