Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #50

[tresir2012]

The Diary of a Grand Princess Crew Member as the Coronavirus Spread on the Ship







The Diary of a Grand Princess Crew Member as the Coronavirus Spread on the Ship

By Charles Bethea

March 17, 2020

After circling the California coast, the Grand Princess arrived in Oakland, on March 9th, and a selection of passengers were disembarked, while all crew remained on board.Photograph by Jim Wilson / NYT / Redux

was quarantined off the coast of Japan for two weeks, in February, because people on board had been infected with something called the coronavirus. (More than seven hundred people on board were infected, and at least eight died from the illness.)
https://www.newyorker.com/tag/coronavirus

“Received a notice today to all crew,” Margaret wrote, on March 4th. Crew-to-passenger contact would be kept to a minimum. Food and drink service for passengers wouldn’t change, but “crew should remain below deck unless performing their regular duties.” There was no reason given as to why. The ship would divert directly to San Francisco rather than continue on to Mexico. The passengers had not yet been made aware of this change. Sanitation protocols would now be at “the maximum level,” Margaret noted; hand washing was “more important than ever.” Later in the day, another message arrived: all nonessential duties on the Grand Princess would be cancelled, because some guests who had sailed on the ship’s previous cruise had tested positive for the coronavirus, after they’d disembarked.


On the afternoon of March 6th, in the canteen, Margaret heard that some crew had tested positive for the coronavirus. “I didn’t believe it, but moments later, Mike Pence was speaking live on BBC World News,” she wrote. Pence said that twenty-one of the forty-six people who were tested were positive, nineteen of them crew. Pence also confirmed the reports about infections on the ship’s previous cruise, in February. “It’s important to note that the Grand Princess actually was on its second tour and we know of coronavirus infections from the first tour as well with very, very difficult results,” he said. He added, “The American people can be confident that there will be no erosion in our preventative measures and efforts to keep the coronavirus from spreading throughout the country.” Margaret wrote, “As I looked around the ship and realized this virus could have been spreading since 11th Feb I became anxious. Nervous for passengers and crew who had no idea.”

 

[margarita25]

“A $484 billion deal to replenish a small-business loan program passed the Senate on Tuesday, and is expected to be approved by the House this week. The bill will also increase funding for hospitals and coronavirus testing, but some Democrats worry that it doesn’t go far enough. Already, one major bank has told its customers that the $310 billion set aside for companies with fewer than 500 workers may not be enough to meet the upswing in demand.

International oil prices plunged to their lowest in more than 20 years on Wednesday, as the pandemic causes demand to dry up. Earlier, President Trump signaled in a tweetthat his administration was at work on an aid package for U.S. oil companies.”

[...]

Trump says Harvard should return its $9 million stimulus check

[...]

““Harvard should give back the money now,” Trump said on Twitter late on Tuesday. “Their whole ‘endowment’ system should be looked at!”

An unprecedented, trillion-dollar aid package passed in late March directed more than $12 billion in federal funds to an emergency relief fund for thousands of colleges and universities. Harvard alone got an $8.7 million relief check.”


https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/04/22/coronavirus-latest-news/

—-

Genomic epidemiology of hCoV-19 in Guangdong Province, China

ETA: Scratching my Guangdong theory moo.

 

[tresir2012]

32 cruise ships around the world have been affected by the coronavirus so far, leaving passengers infected, dead, or stranded — see the full list

 

[Curious Me]

One more post before I really go to bed. I said the virus is a Shape Shifter and presents itself any which way and this supports that.

Coronavirus is causing hives and 4 other skin reactions — here’s what dermatologists warn you to look for

1. A “dengue fever-like rash” that forms large red patches

2. Hives-like rash that either spread or remain the same in size

3. Measles-like rash that creates “little dots all over”

4. Discoloration of the skin that forms in a tree pattern

5. Small, red to purple bumps or nodules on the hands and feet
The final skin reaction, technically known as “pernio,” has earned the name “COVID toes” among those sharing it online. But Davis says the reaction can occur just as frequently in the fingers and hands.

 

[tresir2012]

Maybe this is just a coincidence but Ghangzhou in Guangdong Province had a brand new cruise ship terminal open in November 2019.

New Guangzhou Cruise Port Set For November 17 Opening

More info in this article

Guangzhou’s New Homeport Is Open for Business

And this report links Wuhan to transmissions in air conditioning in a Guangzhou restaurant.

COVID-19 Outbreak Associated with Air Conditioning in Restaurant, Guangzhou, China, 2020

 

[katydid23]

Toilet paper hoarder seeks refund on 4,800 rolls of toilet paper and 150 units of one liter hand sanitizer

The supermarket director of Drakes Supermarket, John-Paul Drake, gave the hoarder a blunt reply.









They need to be named and shamed! Make an example out of them, like the cousins who bought 18,000 bottles of hand sanitizer and were shut down by Amazon for price gouging. The cousins ended up donating the sanitizer. Wondering, is there not a limit on how many packages of toilet paper one person can buy?

Supermarket manager gives blunt reply to toilet paper hoarder seeking refund

Man buys nearly 18,000 hand sanitizer products hoping to cash in on coronavirus. Then Amazon shut him down

The cops should immediately confiscate those hoards of TP, and give them no refund. It's probably not legal but it would serve them right. Jerks...

 

[katydid23]

Design firm proposes new airline seating arrangements in response to coronavirus pandemic

Design firm proposes new airline seating arrangements in response to coronavirus pandemic

 

[Mo Thuairim]

Update on concerns about recovered patients in China testing positive again up to two months later:

Chinese doctors in Wuhan, where the coronavirus first emerged in December, say a growing number of cases in which people recover from the virus, but continue to test positive without showing symptoms, is one of their biggest challenges as the country moves into a new phase of its containment battle.

Those patients all tested negative for the virus at some point after recovering, but then tested positive again, some up to 70 days later, the doctors said.

Many have done so over 50-60 days.

The prospect of people remaining positive for the virus, and therefore potentially infectious, is of international concern, as many countries seek to end lockdowns and resume economic activity as the spread of the virus slows.

Currently, the globally recommended isolation period after exposure is 14 days.

So far, there have been no confirmations of newly positive patients infecting others, according to Chinese health officials.

China has not published precise figures for how many patients fall into this category. But disclosures by Chinese hospitals to Reuters, as well as in other media reports, indicate there are at least dozens of such cases.

In South Korea, about 1,000 people have been testing positive for four weeks or more. In Italy, the first European country ravaged by the pandemic, health officials noticed that coronavirus patients could test positive for the virus for about a month.

Reuters reported that one man in Wuhan, who appeared to be in his 50s, was still testing positive for Covid-19 more than two months after he first contracted it.

He had been treated at two hospitals before being transferred to a quarantine centre set up in a cluster of apartment blocks in an industrial part of Wuhan.

“I really can’t take it anymore,” he said.

Coronavirus live news: UN warns of 'biblical' famine; first case seen in Palestinian refugees in Lebanon

 

[tresir2012]

Nansha-Guangzhou (China) cruise port schedule | CruiseMapper

Info re Nansha, the Ghangzhou port. Note direct rail link to Wuhan. 52 cruise ships visited in 2019.

"Since 2018, Guangshengang XRL (Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link) - high-speed railway - connects Beijing with Hong Kong(Kowloon Station) via Guangzhou andShenzhen. The largest cities connected to Hong Kong via HSR (without interchange) also include Changsha, Guiyang, Wuhan and Nanning.

In 2019, the cruise port handled 52 ship calls and ~265,000 passengers."

 

[tresir2012]

Dream Cruises next to be hit by quarantine order | TTG Asia

"Three mainland Chinese who had been on board from January 19 to January 24 were found to be carriers, said the report, which added that most of those remaining on board were from Hong Kong.

Parent company Genting Hong Kong said in a statement the three “confirmed” cases had disembarked in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou on January 24."

 

[katydid23]

Update on concerns about recovered patients in China testing positive again up to two months later:

Chinese doctors in Wuhan, where the coronavirus first emerged in December, say a growing number of cases in which people recover from the virus, but continue to test positive without showing symptoms, is one of their biggest challenges as the country moves into a new phase of its containment battle.

Those patients all tested negative for the virus at some point after recovering, but then tested positive again, some up to 70 days later, the doctors said.

Many have done so over 50-60 days.

The prospect of people remaining positive for the virus, and therefore potentially infectious, is of international concern, as many countries seek to end lockdowns and resume economic activity as the spread of the virus slows.

Currently, the globally recommended isolation period after exposure is 14 days.

So far, there have been no confirmations of newly positive patients infecting others, according to Chinese health officials.

China has not published precise figures for how many patients fall into this category. But disclosures by Chinese hospitals to Reuters, as well as in other media reports, indicate there are at least dozens of such cases.

In South Korea, about 1,000 people have been testing positive for four weeks or more. In Italy, the first European country ravaged by the pandemic, health officials noticed that coronavirus patients could test positive for the virus for about a month.

Reuters reported that one man in Wuhan, who appeared to be in his 50s, was still testing positive for Covid-19 more than two months after he first contracted it.

He had been treated at two hospitals before being transferred to a quarantine centre set up in a cluster of apartment blocks in an industrial part of Wuhan.

“I really can’t take it anymore,” he said.

Coronavirus live news: UN warns of 'biblical' famine; first case seen in Palestinian refugees in Lebanon

Is there any kind testing they could devise, to see if these recovered patients can reinfect others, months later if they test positive still?

 

[Trino]

And some are not listening...

The director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that a potential second wave of the novel coronavirus could be far more fatal than the current phase of the pandemic because it may overlap with the beginning of flu season this winter. Americans warned of potential second wave of coronavirus

Harvard University epidemiologists are warning that eradicating COVID-19 from the United States may take a lot longer than anyone wants to hear. As Louisiana broke above the milestone of over 1,000 Coronavirus deaths this week, Science magazine published the findings of Harvard researchers who summarized that Americans could see recurring COVID outbreaks as far out as the year 2024.

 

[Trino]

If the servers are wearing masks and gloves, and the other tables are more than 6 feet away, then I would feel OK eating in a restaurant, if it was a clean, responsible establishment.

I wouldn't want to go into Manhattan or downtown Los Angeles and eat yet. But I am an hour north of the city and there are little towns just North of me, who haven't had any CV cases reported yet. My kids live in a town like that, thank goodness.

So I look forward to taking them out to eat some day soon, and spending some quality time with my granddaughter again.

Did you note S Grupa's dine in graph? One person in three large tables had it. Four at his/her table infected. Two at an adjoining table. Three at another adjoining table. The graph is somewhere online - no reference.

 

[Trino]

The cops should immediately confiscate those hoards of TP, and give them no refund. It's probably not legal but it would serve them right. Jerks...

Who would even think about buying this many rolls? Oh, don't get me started...

 

[musicaljoke]

If the servers are wearing masks and gloves, and the other tables are more than 6 feet away, then I would feel OK eating in a restaurant, if it was a clean, responsible establishment.

I wouldn't want to go into Manhattan or downtown Los Angeles and eat yet. But I am an hour north of the city and there are little towns just North of me, who haven't had any CV cases reported yet. My kids live in a town like that, thank goodness.

So I look forward to taking them out to eat some day soon, and spending some quality time with my granddaughter again.

It might be safe if you knew that all the people working in the establishment are tested regularly and continue to have their health monitored by twice daily temp checks. Or better yet, that they've all been vaccinated, but that could be a bit of a wait.

Hopefully the folks sitting at the table 6' away don't happen to have a sneezer in the group and all have been self isolating. Please be careful not to tuck your hands under the chair to pull up to the table. Have you ever seen all the gum that people stick under chairs? Also, check that the ceiling fans are not sending a potential problem your way.

I know that you'll use the washroom before you leave your house so you don't have to wonder about others who been in the loo recently, and I'm sure you won't touch the door handles anywhere.

Gloves can be pretty deceiving, especially if the server uses the same gloves to clear plates, pick up their tips, and serve your meal. I prefer to see a solid handwashing drill.

Oh gosh, I'd love nothing better than to sit with my wee grandies, but until we get an "all clear" announcement from our Public Health Unit, we'll have zoom dates.

 

[Warwick1991]

Toilet paper hoarder seeks refund on 4,800 rolls of toilet paper and 150 units of one liter hand sanitizer

The supermarket director of Drakes Supermarket, John-Paul Drake, gave the hoarder a blunt reply.









They need to be named and shamed! Make an example out of them, like the cousins who bought 18,000 bottles of hand sanitizer and were shut down by Amazon for price gouging. The cousins ended up donating the sanitizer. Wondering, is there not a limit on how many packages of toilet paper one person can buy?

Supermarket manager gives blunt reply to toilet paper hoarder seeking refund

Man buys nearly 18,000 hand sanitizer products hoping to cash in on coronavirus. Then Amazon shut him down

In the area of South Florida where I live, hand sanitizer vanished from too many stores too quickly - it was simultaneous and in my opinion, not a natural shopping pattern. This was before the virus emerged in my county, and the level of awareness hadn’t spread yet. When I couldn’t find any hand sanitizer at my local Walgreens, I tried 3 more Walgreens, 3 CVS stores, 2 Walmarts, and 1 supermarket within a 12 mile radius on the same evening. They were gone from all of these stores almost simultaneously. Restaurants were still crowded, and life was normal. I attribute the disappearance of hand sanitizer to an organized effort, similar to the Tennessee case. So far, I haven’t been able to buy any hand sanitizer, like many of the people on this forum.

This is a disappointing aspect of the pandemic - predators and retailers unprepared to deal with them.

 

[CSIDreamer]

I'm just reading my part time job extended safety guidelines. We now get a 5-10 minute paid break every 30 minutes for handwashing. And detailed instructions on mask wearing. I'm interested in seeing our company supplied masks.

They've impressed me several times.

 

[Teche]

I had a dream that restaurants of the future started to be made up of pods for each table, similar to these office pods:

Office pods | Meeting room pods | Acoustic office pods

In my dream we ordered food on a touchscreen inside the pod and the food was delivered via an airlock chamber with UV light so it was totally contact free and the UV lights sanitized the outside of the food container, silverware, etc as the order was delivered. There was an intercom system to buzz your server if you needed something like a drink refill. The pods were sprayed down with disinfectant from a sprinkler head in the ceiling between customers. I woke up before I figured out how the patrons would safely use the restroom. LOL. If I had millions of dollars to invest I would start building one of these restaurants tomorrow. The world is going to be very interesting in the future.

MOO.

It creeps me out. I'm not worried about catching this and I don't want to have dinner out in a hospital environment. Like going to the ER for dinner. Just no. lol

When we lived in a rural setting, we’d always had to travel to the city for entertainment grocery shopping and a nice meal. Since moving to the city, we rarely eat out because we can pick up our order and eat in the comfort of our home. Our favorite family owned grocery store allows call in orders, pay over the phone and curbside pick up.

 

[Deleted member 158085]

Take out has far lower risk factors than dining out in public.

My work shut down over a month ago and I haven’t done take-out or even gotten a latte at a drive-thru during that time. I’m not sure when I will feel safe even doing that.

 

[Inthedetails]

Very interesting article about what morticians are going through:

"On the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, nurses and doctors are caring for the living. But there is another front line of those caring for the dead. They fear they can also get infected and die. Some of them have sent their own children to live with relatives."

Meet the women morticians caring for Harlem’s dead amid coronavirus crisis


https://nypost.com/2020/04/21/meet-the-women-morticians-caring-for-harlems-dead-amid-coronavirus/