Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Emergency #5

[JerseyGirl]

Eleven of the 13 Diamond Princess cruise ship evacuees taken to the University of Nebraska Medical Center Monday after passengers arrived in the U.S. have tested positive for coronavirus, the medical facility said Thursday night.

University of Nebraska Medical Center said 10 people are currently in the facility's National Quarantine Unit and three others are in the biocontainment unit.

One man had already been transferred to the hospital’s biocontainment unit Monday because his symptoms included cough, fever, shortness of breath, lightheadedness and an undisclosed chronic condition that would make him particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus.

Coronavirus Diamond Princess cruise: 11 test positive in Nebraska

 

[JerseyGirl]

And this people is why I said I would of chosen to stay in Japan than get on that flight.

I dunno, I'd rather have the virus and be on American soil than worry about the virus and getting contaminated in Japan.

 

[What if...]

I don’t blame Dr. Hopland for staying. I don’t think many people would leave their partner in a foreign country when they are suffering from a virus that could be deadly. It must be very difficult to not be able to see her.

I don’t know what will happen with the Olympics billions of Yen has been spent and Japan needs the boost to its economy. Hopefully common sense about the health of people will prevail over the financial impact.

Agree - but cancelling may be cheaper for them in the long run.

 

[Amonet]

ITA! And when those isolation units are all at max capacity, that’s when we’ll see the outbreak go into overdrive. Rather than trying to contain this thing by creating isolation wings within existing hospitals, I think entire facilities should be converted to isolation treatment centers. The outcome at China’s hospitals has already proven that a large portion of people were infected AT THE HOSPITAL!
I’m just afraid that isolation wings in hospitals could equate to a repeat of the cruise ship.

We don't know the details of all the hospital-acquired infections though. At least two or three occurred in non-coronavirus wards where a patient unknowingly had Covid-19 and then infected staff/other patients on that ward.

Some of the hospital-acquired infections could have been faulty PPE usage by tired or untrained staff.

You're absolutely right about doing anything possible to avoid another cruise ship situation! That stadium/hall photo with the patients in beds and just little separation barriers between them... as everyone's been saying, what if some of them had Covid-19 and some had a temperature or cough for some other reason, and then there are hundreds of them in close quarters, without two or three metres between individuals. There's got to be better ways than that! Even if a nation is struggling, we have to try and do better than that

 

[JerseyGirl]

London can host 2020 Olympics if coronavirus outbreak persists, mayoral candidate says

A candidate for London’s upcoming mayoral elections is asking Olympics officials to consider relocating the 2020 games to the British capital -- if the deadly coronavirus forces Tokyo to abandon its hosting duties.

“London can host the #Olympics in 2020,” Shaun Bailey, the Conservative candidate, wrote on Twitter. “We have the infrastructure and the experience. And due to the #coronavirus outbreak, the world might need us to step up.”

"Given the ongoing disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak, I urge the Olympic Committee to seriously consider how London could stand ready to host the Olympics should the need arise," he added in a statement to CityAM Magazine.

 

[Auntie Cipation]

My suspicion is that those who tested positive AND had symptoms were seated in the containment box, while those who tested positive but weren't showing symptoms may have been seated behind the plastic sheet only.

And of course they can't open the containment box while in flight, so they couldn't do much more than segregate with the plastic sheet for anyone whose symptoms appeared while in flight.

 

[Herat]

Keep in mind, the WHO has been saying at almost every presser that they do not coordinate, they only advise. It's up to each government to make decisions, and scary but true, when gets to the US, the states have the most control outside of national law.

My guess is you are right. The US had possession and it was a WTF moment as to how to get back into Japan control if it was even possible. It is what it is. But there may be a bright side in that the US gets first hand info and can control. The bad part is there is documentation of viral shedding after folks have recovered. I was reading last night google scholar new papers, but don't have time to share/comment as I need to ready for transcription of WHO presser.

Thank you dixiegirl1035-

This is exactly what I have been wondering about. How long viral shedding goes on after an infected person becomes afebrile and free from cough, malaise, elevated WBC or other indicators of infection.

 

[What if...]

Coronavirus: Diamond Princess repatriation flight to UK is delayed

More than 70 British nationals who have been quarantined onboard the Diamond Princess were due to fly home on Friday but will now leave the cruise ship on Friday night, and the flight will depart in the early hours of Saturday, local time.

The passengers are due to land at the Boscombe Down military base near Salisbury in Wiltshire.

Although given the all-clear in Japan, those on Friday’s evacuation flight will be taken straight to Arrowe Park hospital in Wirral for 14 days of quarantine.

The four Britons onboard the Diamond Princess who have tested positive will not be on the flight.

Meanwhile, Britons in Cambodia who left another cruise ship, the Westerdam, and who have been cleared for travel, are being assisted by the Foreign Office to make their way home. The group are receiving health advice and being helped with commercial flight bookings. All have tested negative after one case was diagnosed on board. The number of Britons in the group has not been disclosed, and it is unclear whether some have already come back to the UK.

___

Why are they putting Westerdam passengers on commercial flights, just because they tested negative?!? I would expect quarantining anyone on that ship for at least 14 days is a safe bet.

Ugh.... it’s starting to look like every government body is bound and determined to make mistakes in judgement!
Either that, or they’ve already determined that containment isn’t actually an option?? Not good either way...

 

[gregjrichards]

London can host 2020 Olympics if coronavirus outbreak persists, mayoral candidate says

A candidate for London’s upcoming mayoral elections is asking Olympics officials to consider relocating the 2020 games to the British capital -- if the deadly coronavirus forces Tokyo to abandon its hosting duties.

“London can host the #Olympics in 2020,” Shaun Bailey, the Conservative candidate, wrote on Twitter. “We have the infrastructure and the experience. And due to the #coronavirus outbreak, the world might need us to step up.”

"Given the ongoing disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak, I urge the Olympic Committee to seriously consider how London could stand ready to host the Olympics should the need arise," he added in a statement to CityAM Magazine.

Japan is not happy about this suggestion. I don’t even know how he thinks this possible because the Olympic site is going to rack and ruin. There have been articles about the terrible state it is now in.

 

[Amonet]

Further to my last post.....that expert who went onto the Diamond Princess cruise ship and then did the highly critical video.

He was talking about having clearly delineated and separated green and red zones.. So wherever is used for quarantine, isolation, or treatment, has to start off by being designed along those lines, sticking along those lines, awareness that a green zone could turn into a red zone at any point and how to deal with that.

Staff working in one zone shouldn't really be working in another zone as well. The air supplies need to be separate.

I think medical staff working in green zones (non-coronavirus patients) also need to be using extra PPE even if not the full suits, and we're really going to need PPE production to be ramped up massively to allow that to happen. Maybe patients coming into ERs need to be triaged in different ways.

If that new 15-minute test works, that would be brilliant if that could be rolled out everywhere. That could be a gamechanger.

 

[Amonet]

London can host 2020 Olympics if coronavirus outbreak persists, mayoral candidate says

A candidate for London’s upcoming mayoral elections is asking Olympics officials to consider relocating the 2020 games to the British capital -- if the deadly coronavirus forces Tokyo to abandon its hosting duties.

“London can host the #Olympics in 2020,” Shaun Bailey, the Conservative candidate, wrote on Twitter. “We have the infrastructure and the experience. And due to the #coronavirus outbreak, the world might need us to step up.”

"Given the ongoing disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak, I urge the Olympic Committee to seriously consider how London could stand ready to host the Olympics should the need arise," he added in a statement to CityAM Magazine.

May I respectfully suggest that Antarctica or the Moon might be the only safe places by the time of the Opening Ceremony?

 

[Herat]

The outcome at China’s hospitals has already proven that a large portion of people were infected AT THE HOSPITAL!

I disagree strongly with this comment.

It is clear that healthcare workers can become infected taking care of COVID-19 patients, and can even die. (We don't yet have any information that they would have been considered to have the high-risk conditions of advanced age or other medical conditions that lower immunity)

But there is no information that a "large proportion of infected people were infected AT THE HOSPITAL"

For that to happen, a large proportion of uninfected, asymptomatic people who were free of the virus would have to be taken into the hospital and that is certainly not going on. That would be the antithesis of quarantine.

Your statement is hyperbole.

 

[asyousay]

I dunno, I'd rather have the virus and be on American soil than worry about the virus and getting contaminated in Japan.

Japan isn’t a 3rd world nation and I am sure I would be fine in their care.

I would have a lot more concerns about being stuck in China though.


MOO

 

[Herat]

I have dealt with the CDC personnel during an investigation of a small outbreak of an unusual infection and they are supremely professional, thorough, discrete, and very very knowledgeable.

It's pretty silly for random annonymous posters to criticize an internationally-respected organization like this which has decades of experience dealing with very serious disease outbreaks.

 

[Herat]

London can host 2020 Olympics if coronavirus outbreak persists, mayoral candidate says

A candidate for London’s upcoming mayoral elections is asking Olympics officials to consider relocating the 2020 games to the British capital -- if the deadly coronavirus forces Tokyo to abandon its hosting duties.

“London can host the #Olympics in 2020,” Shaun Bailey, the Conservative candidate, wrote on Twitter. “We have the infrastructure and the experience. And due to the #coronavirus outbreak, the world might need us to step up.”

"Given the ongoing disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak, I urge the Olympic Committee to seriously consider how London could stand ready to host the Olympics should the need arise," he added in a statement to CityAM Magazine.

Ummmmm.

Certainly will be one of the most ridiculous ideas of this entire episode.
1. How will they be assured London won't be experiencing an outbreak of the virus during that time?

2. How will they know anyone wants to risk travel to London and deliberately mingling with large numbers of people from all over the world.

3. A huge amount of the population in London uses closed public transport -the famous Tube. Sounds like the perfect way to spread an infection over 30 or so other people in close contact.

 

[JerseyGirl]

World Health Organization-led team will travel to Wuhan tomorrow

The WHO-led joint mission working on coronavirus in China will travel tomorrow to Wuhan, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said today during a press briefing. It’s up to the team what it wants to focus on there, Tedros said.

So far, the team has been working (in) Beijing, Sichuan and Guangdong, he said.

Tedros said previously the team includes experts from the US CDC and Prevention and the US National Institutes of Health, as well as experts from Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Nigeria, Germany and Russia. The team includes experts in epidemiology, virology, clinical management, outbreak control and public health.

Coronavirus live updates: South Korea infections almost doubled in 24 hours - CNN

 

[Henry2326]

I have dealt with the CDC personnel during an investigation of a small outbreak of an unusual infection and they are supremely professional, thorough, discrete, and very very knowledgeable.

It's pretty silly for random annonymous posters to criticize an internationally-respected organization like this which has decades of experience dealing with very serious disease outbreaks.

Amen.....

 

[Herat]

Further to my last post.....that expert who went onto the Diamond Princess cruise ship and then did the highly critical video.

He was talking about having clearly delineated and separated green and red zones.. So wherever is used for quarantine, isolation, or treatment, has to start off by being designed along those lines, sticking along those lines, awareness that a green zone could turn into a red zone at any point and how to deal with that.

Staff working in one zone shouldn't really be working in another zone as well. The air supplies need to be separate.

I think medical staff working in green zones (non-coronavirus patients) also need to be using extra PPE even if not the full suits, and we're really going to need PPE production to be ramped up massively to allow that to happen. Maybe patients coming into ERs need to be triaged in different ways.

If that new 15-minute test works, that would be brilliant if that could be rolled out everywhere. That could be a gamechanger.

Yes, so someone has to VALIDATE those tests. Critically important step. No one wants a screening test that is not specific or sensitive.

And then some country has to ramp up to make a billion or so of these tests, real fast. Make the order 10 billion, because you'll have to run them in duplicate for a while.

So they only country that could really do that is..... China.

Where established manufacturing is almost shut down already.

Interesting management issues here on a scale we have never seen before.

 

[gregjrichards]

Moscow will use facial recognition cameras to make sure 2,500 people in coronavirus quaratine do not leave their homes

Moscow will use facial recognition cameras to keep 2,500 people in coronavirus quaratine | Daily Mail Online

 

[What if...]

May I respectfully suggest that Antarctica or the Moon might be the only safe places by the time of the Opening Ceremony?

LOL - @Amonet better be careful - you’re starting to sound a little like some of us alarmists!!