How are positive cases handled at the end of the cruise?

[bouhunter]

32 minutes ago, topnole said:

Well over 100K cases in Fl last week.  From a public health perspective, I don’t think they are worried about 50-100 folks getting off the ship with Covid.  The issue is so much bigger than that.  

Correct.  OP seems fixated that a few cruisers are a danger when they are just a drop in the bucket once off the ship.

[livingonthebeach]

Just now, bouhunter said:

Seriously?  There were 189,000 positive cases in the US, YESTERDAY.  I don't think anyone is worried about a few cruise passengers "roaming around" when the entire country is already infested with covid.....

 

If this new variant is as mild as has been reported, then I can see why the level of concern is not that great.  Still, it would seem like the right thing to do to make sure the cases on ships are mitigated by enforcing protocol rules.  I don't think the cruise lines like the publicity they are getting, but they should have thought about before letting unvaccinated and undervaccinated passengers and crew onboard. 

[livingonthebeach]

3 minutes ago, Starry Eyes said:

How would a passenger possibly know a working crew member was actually positive?  

 

Crew members have been reporting things to outside news sources -- that's how. 

[livingonthebeach]

5 minutes ago, bouhunter said:

Correct.  OP seems fixated that a few cruisers are a danger when they are just a drop in the bucket once off the ship.

 

Not fixated just surprised at the non accountibility that's all.  I suppose you don't live in a port city, do you?

[nelblu]

4 minutes ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

If this new variant is as mild as has been reported, then I can see why the level of concern is not that great.  Still, it would seem like the right thing to do to make sure the cases on ships are mitigated by enforcing protocol rules.  I don't think the cruise lines like the publicity they are getting, but they should have thought about before letting unvaccinated and undervaccinated passengers and crew onboard. 

So, your assumptions are that children are infecting crew members and Paxs.  Also, who is undervaxxed.  Unless you mean those taht were jabbed with the J&J vaccine or those that do not have the booster.

[BND]

28 minutes ago, barbeyg said:

I frankly think it is.  Very mild, yet very contagious. The CDC has said that clinicians (medical providers) may return to work, in a staffing shortage crisis, WHILE INFECTED, no matter what the symptoms, if they are able to work. They expect staffing shortages because of the number who could be infected, yet not be ill from it.

 

Asymptomatic medical providers have no restrictions in staffing shortages, at all. Think about that. Obviously, the CDC sees this as having large numbers, but at the same time, has truly loosened restrictions for clinicians, partly because of the numbers they are hyping as possible, but partly because it is so mild.  I work in the administrative side of healthcare, and received notification of this over the weekend.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/guidance-risk-assesment-hcp.html

Check the South Africa data out when you get a chance.  That's all I'm gonna say because the last data/info I posted about the data there got the thread removed.  Probably because no one bothers to research outside the US.

[Starry Eyes]

37 minutes ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

Crew members have been reporting things to outside news sources -- that's how. 

  I have not seen those outside news reports.  Would you post the link, please.  One needs details to evaluate such claims. For example, PCR tests can persist for months after recovery when a previously infected person no longer poses a risk; this is well known.  Such cases might be cleared by medical staff who know more than random (possibly unhappy) crew member.

[nocl]

1 hour ago, BND said:

You are exposed everywhere you go.  Cruise  ships are no more responsible for the cases than your local church, theater, restaurants are.  Airlines, trains, buses, subways, hotels all "unknowingly" let people out into the world.

The difference is that the cruise lines have signed port agreements with the disembarkation ports that define their responsibility.

[nocl]

33 minutes ago, BND said:

Check the South Africa data out when you get a chance.  That's all I'm gonna say because the last data/info I posted about the data there got the thread removed.  Probably because no one bothers to research outside the US.

A number of us look at world wide data, while down from the peak the SA numbers are still quite high.  Also we will need to wait until after the holiday period to see if those impact the test numbers.  

[topnole]

1 hour ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

If this new variant is as mild as has been reported, then I can see why the level of concern is not that great.  Still, it would seem like the right thing to do to make sure the cases on ships are mitigated by enforcing protocol rules.  I don't think the cruise lines like the publicity they are getting, but they should have thought about before letting unvaccinated and undervaccinated passengers and crew onboard. 

Under-vaccinated?   What the heck does that mean?   

[livingonthebeach]

1 minute ago, topnole said:

Under-vaccinated?   What the heck does that mean?   

Not boosted or vaccinated with a vaccine with very low efficacy, 

[livingonthebeach]

28 minutes ago, Starry Eyes said:

  I have not seen those outside news reports.  Would you post the link, please.  One needs details to evaluate such claims. For example, PCR tests can persist for months after recovery when a previously infected person no longer poses a risk; this is well known.  Such cases might be cleared by medical staff who know more than random (possibly unhappy) crew member.

If you followed some threads before they were deleted you would have read about it. 

[topnole]

1 hour ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

Not fixated just surprised at the non accountibility that's all.  I suppose you don't live in a port city, do you?

You think 50-100 Covid positive people getting off a ship is going to impact Miami or Ft. Lauderdale in terms of Covid spread.  It is a drop in the bucket for these major cities.  I’m not saying there probably shouldn’t be some standard protocols, but it is a drop in the bucket.  This isn’t March 2000 when 100 folks would quadruple the case count in a

state or the country.  There are well into the 20 something thousands a day in Florida alone.  Miami Ft Lauderdale area have always had the most in the state too.  

[jonj]

2 hours ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

True, it is everywhere but no one is on an airline, train, public transportation etc for days and contact tracing nearly impossible.  Hotels don't have that many common areas where people congregate for lengthy periods of time.  The cruise lines know there are positive cases onboard and are not testing passengers for fear of negative publicity, cancellations, and being denied port entry, i.e. all point to a decreased bottom line. 

With all due respect I travelled on 10 flights in 2021 and in November and December (non- holiday weeks) the airports were as crowded as pre-covid I couldn't believe how many people were traveling, airlines are full and sitting next to someone inches away for hours at a time. You have more social distancing options on a cruise than on a place. 

 

My thoughts are that since people are on a plane for only hours and they start feeling sick they don't know where it happened during their travels, they could have gotten it on the plane. While they say they totally sanitize the planes, I have gotten on a plane 10 minutes after it landed, there is no way they did a deep clean and have found many crumbs in the seats so definitely not cleaning if at all. 

 

Airlines are not doing contact tracing that I am aware of. I had a friend test positive five days after being on a plane, she contacted the airline and they simply said thank you but nothing was ever done. Others that I know were on the same flight never got any notice about it. I can't imagine the numbers if the CDC really did track airlines and cases. 

Edited December 27, 2021 by jonj

[topnole]

25 minutes ago, livingonthebeach said:

Not boosted or vaccinated with a vaccine with very low efficacy, 

What about vaccinated and boosted a few Months ago.  They are already saying for older folks the booster only lasts a short period of time.  The issue is you can never know who is under vaccinated as you say.  A two booster cycle could be much better for a 25 year old than a fully vax plus booster for a 70+ year old.   

Edited December 27, 2021 by topnole

[Starry Eyes]

1 minute ago, livingonthebeach said:

If you followed some threads before they were deleted you would have read about it. 

Deleted threads?  Probably deleted for a reason.  Regardless, did you actually find and read the outside news reports…if so, link them.  If not, all I have your interpretation/remembrance of some other random cruise critic member’s post which interpreted a media report, which was the reporter’s interpretation of a crew member’s words, which were an interpretation of something that crew member heard on board the ship, and those words on ship may not have come from other random crew members rather than directly from medical staff.  Fourth hand hear-say is not helpful to anybody. 
Until proven otherwise, my best guess is PCR test after recovery which were interpreted and cleared by medical staff. 

[livingonthebeach]

2 minutes ago, topnole said:

What about vaccinated and boosted a few Months ago.  They are already saying for older folks the booster only lasts a short period of time.  The issue is you can never know who is under vaccinated as you say.  A two booster cul lie could be much better for a 25 year old than a fully vax plus booster for a 70+ year old.   

Ok but if boosted , no matter what age, gives one a better chance of getting a milder case or no symptoms at all. If a cruise line relies heavily on crew for the ships to operate, then they need to do a better job at protecting its workers. 

[livingonthebeach]

1 minute ago, Starry Eyes said:

Deleted threads?  Probably deleted for a reason.  Regardless, did you actually find and read the outside news reports…if so, link them.  If not, all I have your interpretation/remembrance of some other random cruise critic member’s post which interpreted a media report, which was the reporter’s interpretation of a crew member’s words, which were an interpretation of something that crew member heard on board the ship, and those words on ship may not have come from other random crew members rather than directly from medical staff.  Fourth hand hear-say is not helpful to anybody. 
Until proven otherwise, my best guess is PCR test after recovery which were interpreted and cleared by medical staff. 

Good grief. Unless you were there and actually saw it, then you can only go by what others report. To me it seems very plausible that there were sick crew members working just as there were sick passengers that weren’t tested and going about their cruise as if nothing happened.  We’re not discussing waking up on Mars for Pete’s sake. 

[topnole]

11 minutes ago, livingonthebeach said:

Ok but if boosted , no matter what age, gives one a better chance of getting a milder case or no symptoms at all. If a cruise line relies heavily on crew for the ships to operate, then they need to do a better job at protecting its workers. 

Respectfully, they have no idea if booster helps lower the severity if infected.  The idea is when antibodies are low or gone other systems like T cells kick in, recognize and ramp up antibodies.   But that means a delay and one will likely become infected and symptomatic to some degree.  T cell memory could last a lifetime.  A 100+ woman who survived the Spanish flu tested for still having T cell memory recently for example.   I don’t think they have any idea on how much boosters help with regards to lower severity vs if just had two shots. They only know a booster ramps up antibodies which will improve preventing infection to some degree.  

[nelblu]

I can see where this thread is going to wind up.🚽

[Starry Eyes]

1 minute ago, livingonthebeach said:

Good grief. Unless you were there and actually saw it, then you can only go by what others report. To me it seems very plausible that there were sick crew members working just as there were sick passengers that weren’t tested and going about their cruise as if nothing happened.  We’re not discussing waking up on Mars for Pete’s sake. 

Yeah, I am willing to look at somebody’s report…. that’s why I asked for the link to the outside media article.  But something filtered through too many people (especially lay people, though even medical professionals can misinterpret such info) is like the kid’s telephone game (right here on earth).  Again, just supply the link, please.

 

Not every passenger will report symptoms, before the cruise on health questionnaire or on cruise. Crew members are more likely to report symptoms, I suspect.  They value their jobs and being caught breaking illness rules might threaten their job.  Furthermore they are tested frequently, even without symptoms.  There are plenty of good old fashioned colds circulating now, so a crew member (or passenger) with mild upper respiratory symptoms may just have a cold.

[topnole]

2 minutes ago, Starry Eyes said:

Yeah, I am willing to look at somebody’s report…. that’s why I asked for the link to the outside media article.  But something filtered through too many people (especially lay people, though even medical professionals can misinterpret such info) is like the kid’s telephone game (right here on earth).  Again, just supply the link, please.

 

Not every passenger will report symptoms, before the cruise on health questionnaire or on cruise. Crew members are more likely to report symptoms, I suspect.  They value their jobs and being caught breaking illness rules might threaten their job.  Furthermore they are tested frequently, even without symptoms.  There are plenty of good old fashioned colds circulating now, so a crew member (or passenger) with mild upper respiratory symptoms may just have a cold.

My kids have been coughing for three weeks.  Tested them multiple times.  No Covid.  A lot of non Covid stuff going around too.  Like normal.  

[Sunshine3601]

2 hours ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

True, it is everywhere but no one is on an airline, train, public transportation etc for days and contact tracing nearly impossible.  Hotels don't have that many common areas where people congregate for lengthy periods of time.  

It only takes a couple of minutes to infect someone so it really doesn't matter where you are it is just a matter of whether or not it is discovered and you have to quarantine.   

 

I feel bad for the crew members as I am sure their life onboard is a lot harder know than a couple weeks ago.    I imagine th crew areas for R & R have limited access with a lot more restrictions and just not as fun as it used to be when they had a day off.

[RoyalC]

11 minutes ago, topnole said:

My kids have been coughing for three weeks.  Tested them multiple times.  No Covid.  A lot of non Covid stuff going around too.  Like normal.  

Possible low viral load so need a pcr test if they did not have one already

[taglovestocruise]

2 hours ago, whitshel said:

Being on the Odyssey right now other than the safety precautions (masks, some tables closed) you would never know COVID is going on. From these boards it sounds like everyone is down, walking on eggshells having a hum drum time. Just the opposite man, the ship is having a blast, smiles, laughing, partying, family's having time together.  I'm sure there are some of those but for the most part people are vacationing having fun. The majority of the ship is vaccinated and safe. 

 

I don't mean to be rude, but these boards are like the news, everyone is hyping up the bad hype, all I can say is it feels like a normal cruise for me.  And I know you're just. "stating facts" but people you need to chill. If cruising during COVID isn't for you, then don't go. Don't make it as if the sky is falling for the rest of us.  And will St Thomas, and San Juan go??  Don't know, don't really care.and if people aren't following the safety protocols, that's on them, don't blame Rccl, these are grown ass adults.  Shame on them. I guess I'm used to wearing a mask living in San Diego where Cali has a mask mandate. Being in Florida, saying to myself why is no one wearing a mask. Then it dawned on me, haha we're not in Cali anymore, Toto!!

 

Now it's somewhere in paradise.

 

Let the flames begin

Agree with you 99%.  We live just up the road from you in Temecula, masks are about 25%. Mandate ended June 15 and no one in my family has worn a mask since.  It seems like the new new variant is so mild most no longer care.