Warning if your about to cruise on Coral.

[Mikamarii]

We are almost 3 years into this with well over a year into vaccines and available treatments. Ultimately if you don’t feel safe now you may never will. It will never be as bad as it was. There will always be a new variant, some worse than others. According to Health Canada we are on our 17th variant of concern and that does not include all the sub lineages. The media will keep it at the forefront because re-opening is new and there is still a fear of the unknown. Very few people buy a paper or click on an article when everything is great. We just go about our day. But when there is a threat to livelihood people tune in for the latest update regardless of the side you are on. Media is a business and fear is the best money maker. They are masters at it with virtually no accountability. 

[Cbtours]

2 minutes ago, Mikamarii said:

We are almost 3 years into this with well over a year into vaccines and available treatments. Ultimately if you don’t feel safe now you may never will. It will never be as bad as it was. There will always be a new variant, some worse than others. According to Health Canada we are on our 17th variant of concern and that does not include all the sub lineages. The media will keep it at the forefront because re-opening is new and there is still a fear of the unknown. Very few people buy a paper or click on an article when everything is great. We just go about our day. But when there is a threat to livelihood people tune in for the latest update regardless of the side you are on. Media is a business and fear is the best money maker. They are masters at it with virtually no accountability. 

True.

[Aus Traveller]

45 minutes ago, pully8 said:

Thankfully we have moved on from the individual states guarding their borders and hospitals. Memorable comments from a premier at the time wanting to restrict hospitals for state use only, which would be tricky if an unfortunate interstate person needed admission.

Hopefully the new protocols have sorted all that out, albeit hospital care seems less necessary now with current treatments.

The mantra at present is cruise/travel with confidence, what will be will be.

Personal responsibility, health/travel insurance and all will be well.

Much as things were pre pandemic.  

Reference to the "comment from a premier at the time wanting to restrict hospitals for state use only" probably refers to the unfortunate throw-away line from Annastasia Palaszczuk when an expectant mother from Lismore who needed specialist treatment went to a Sydney hospital rather than one in Brisbane. This case has been referred to in the media several times, usually with the comment that the woman wasn't allowed into Q'ld resulting in the death of one of her unborn twins. However, this isn't true. It was reported at the time that her doctor in Lismore told her would not be allowed to cross the border and that she should be flown to Sydney. A medical expert also stated that it was very unlikely that the baby could be saved no matter what was done.

 

The Q'ld Premier's unfortunate statement "Anyway, Q'ld hospitals are for Queenslanders" over-looked the fact that NSW residents in the far north of the state have always had access to medical treatment in Q'ld and this occasion the only difference would have been that the doctor involved would have had to apply for urgent approval for his patient to cross the border. However, he didn't even try.

 

BTW, I am not challenging 'pully8's comments, just expanding on the comment about restricting hospitals to residents of that state.

[JohnGc]

10 hours ago, bazzaw said:

Every day, the Qld Health Department publishes Covid data on Facebook. This includes Deaths. BUT - if you read the fine print you will find that these people did indeed test positive to Covid in the time before death - but theDept  openly states that the most they can say about these people is that they died WITH Covid. The causes of Death can be multiple - and for an elderly, unfit, obese person who has a heart condition, high BP, cancer, diabetes, etc, etc , then indeed getting Covid may push them over the edge. I have a 90yo friend who has/had cancer, a dicky heart valve that needs replacing for the second time - but who is also very fit, active and not overweight - he also recently tested positive for Covid but he was fully vaccinated and the virus was little more than a nuisance for him ( like a common cold is!!) 

Agreed, and this is the information I would like to receive when making my mind up about taking a cruise not just how many people on board have Covid but to what extent. How many are seriously ill, if so were they fully vaccinated were they severely  immunocompromised, how many mild cases. If 90% or more were mild cases that would be encouraging. 🤞 

[pully8]

Equity and access to health/hospital care is an issue for many.

Can recall when caravanning a few years ago, next to us was an elderly couple who told us they were at this large rural town because they knew the healthcare and hospital provided excellent care/services.

Some say the cruising lifestyle offers a comfortable option and sense of security as they age. Cannot blame them either. Good to have options. 

 

[SinbadThePorter]

8 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

NSW residents in the far north of the state have always had access to medical treatment in Q'ld

 

I have friends and relatives from the Northern Rivers who accessed the Gold Coast Hospital throughout the lockdowns and border closures. They needed permits, which were easy to get, but anyone transporting them had to remain in the car.

 

NSW has been very slack with hospital access in the Northern Rivers. The existence of the Gold Coast Hospital allowed them to be. But the hospital capacity was built with the population of the Gold Coast in mind, not that plus the Northern Rivers area.

 

At least after all these years the NSW government is finally building the Tweed Valley Hospital at Kingscliff.

[pully8]

11 minutes ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

I have friends and relatives from the Northern Rivers who accessed the Gold Coast Hospital throughout the lockdowns and border closures. They needed permits, which were easy to get, but anyone transporting them had to remain in the car.

 

NSW has been very slack with hospital access in the Northern Rivers. The existence of the Gold Coast Hospital allowed them to be. But the hospital capacity was built with the population of the Gold Coast in mind, not that plus the Northern Rivers area.

 

At least after all these years the NSW government is finally building the Tweed Valley Hospital at Kingscliff.

Good to know capacity is being provided for the population. Staffing seems to be a major issue at present, on land or sea or in the air. 

 

[Porky55]

18 hours ago, vozzie said:

Are you all aware that there's around 5000 new Covid cases in QLD a day? Where do you think they are coming from...corn flakes packets? No...they are coming from people going to work, going to the shops, flying on aircraft, catching a train, getting pissed at the pub or going to the footy. Is the media asking us not to frequent those places? How does a few managed cases on a cruise ship attract so much attention?

[Porky55]

Delete 😳

Edited July 12, 2022 by Porky55

[subaru94]

36 minutes ago, Porky55 said:

Typical media have nothing else to report, oh look, cruise ship with a few cases, lets focus on that rather than other things.  So agree with you, over media hype, we don't bother watching the news anymore.

[MMDown Under]

Queensland Health said 100 passengers on Coral Princess have tested positive since the ship left Brisbane on Sunday,  Passengers have been requested to wear masks in Eden today.

[arxcards]

3 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

Queensland Health said 100 passengers on Coral Princess have tested positive since the ship left Brisbane on Sunday,  Passengers have been requested to wear masks in Eden today.

Wow, if that doesn't include crew, that is a rather quick outbreak from a shipload of passengers that did a pre-cruise RAT on Saturday 🤧

[pully8]

Eden is a scenic place but small, what activities will be offered for the cruise passengers? 

[arxcards]

47 minutes ago, subaru94 said:

Typical media have nothing else to report, oh look, cruise ship with a few cases, lets focus on that rather than other things.  So agree with you, over media hype, we don't bother watching the news anymore.

There is a story there, and I have yet to hear anything OTT from the media this time around. The pollies aren't standing on soap boxes for this, so there isn't much of a critical angle for them to run with.

[MMDown Under]

3 minutes ago, arxcards said:

Wow, if that doesn't include crew, that is a rather quick outbreak from a shipload of passengers that did a pre-cruise RAT on Saturday 🤧

No stats in ABC article changed - 118 people, 114 crew and 4 passengers 

Passengers had to have a negative RAT test prior to disembarking in Eden. 

[MMDown Under]

1 minute ago, MMDown Under said:

No stats in ABC article changed - 118 people, 114 crew and 4 passengers 

Passengers had to have a negative RAT test prior to disembarking in Eden. 

abc news is showing Coral Princess on news.

[arxcards]

5 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

No stats in ABC article changed - 118 people, 114 crew and 4 passengers 

Passengers had to have a negative RAT test prior to disembarking in Eden. 

That makes a bit more sense, as the crew are now being tested daily, while the passengers have no compulsory testing if they aren't going ashore. That is a large % of crew though. While it is an obvious strain on the operation of the ship, it should give them all some really good immunity for a month or two, and we have no qualms about boarding Coral in August.

[arxcards]

32 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

abc news is showing Coral Princess on news.

Just watched. Nothing sensationalised beyond a headline.

[Hammer61]

25 minutes ago, arxcards said:

Just watched. Nothing sensationalised beyond a headline

ABC tends not to sensationalise news, 7, 9 and 10 though???? But will depend on what other news there is today I expect, if it’s a slow news days then odds on they will beat this one up…….

 

Personally I usually watch ABC or SBS if I want a rational and honest take on the news, the commercial channels have one eye on ratings so you often get a story exaggerated and bigged up to be far worse than it usually is.

[MicCanberra]

Passengers will need to test negative for Sydney as well

[NSWP]

1 hour ago, pully8 said:

Eden is a scenic place but small, what activities will be offered for the cruise passengers? 

Bus tour around Eden, Pambula and Merimbula, whale watch boat. Otherwise pax can walk around the harbour or up the hill into the town, visit the pub or Coles, lol, not a lot else.

 

[MMDown Under]

1 minute ago, NSWP said:

Bus tour around Eden, Pambula and Merimbula, whale watch boat. Otherwise pax can walk around the harbour or up the hill into the town, visit the pub or Coles, lol, not a lot else.

 

What is the weather like and the seas?

[NSWP]

7 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

Passengers will need to test negative for Sydney as well

Can you imagine the media circus at Circular Quay when she returns?

 

I wonder if many booked pax have cancelled in the last day or two?

[Balsam12]

1 minute ago, NSWP said:

 visit the pub or Coles, 

 

Well that's an easy decision to make.... 🍻

[NSWP]

14 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

What is the weather like and the seas?

I did not go down there due to my accident, sore back, but around here ok, overcast, light showers, 3 metre seas, would be much the same down there.

Edited July 12, 2022 by NSWP