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On the final day of the the 14-day quarantine of the Diamond Princess in Yokohama, Japan - another 79 passengers and crew have tested positive for the novel coronavirus - raising the total number of confirmed infections to 621 of 3011 people tested - or roughly 20%.
Most of the remaining (2,000+) passengers not already hospitalized or repatriated by their home countries are expected to be tested for the virus, and if negative - cleared for debarkation from the ship over the next couple of days.The nearly 1,000 crew members, however, are reportedly going into an additional 14-day quarantine aboard the stricken vessel (see Time.com report).
Many countries - including the United States, Canada, and Hong Kong - are imposing an additional 14-day quarantine on passengers from this ship, to ensure they were not infected late in the quarantine period and are potentially incubating the virus.
The current plan to release passengers from quarantine over the next couple of days based on a single negative RT-PCR test has drawn criticism from a number of experts, who fear this will lead to further spread of the virus (see Reuters Report).The fact that roughly half of the lab-confirmed cases aboard ship were asymptomatic at the time of their testing raises additional concerns, as it isn't certain at what point asymptomatic cases begin to test positive for the virus.
The latest report from the MOH on the Diamond Princess follows:
About new coronavirus infectious disease confirmed in cruise ship during quarantine in Yokohama Port (the thirteenth report)
The cruise ship Diamond Princess, which arrived at Yokohama Port on February 3, is undergoing quarantine at sea. A new coronavirus test was conducted, including those who are considered to be at high risk from the viewpoint of ensuring health due to long-term stay on board, including those with symptoms such as fever, and the results were found.
Of 607, 79 (including 68 asymptomatic pathogen carriers) were confirmed to be positive for the new coronavirus. In the future, it will be transported to medical institutions with infectious disease wards. Positive cases were confirmed in 621 of the 3,011 people tested (including 322 asymptomatic pathogen carriers).
Those who are transported include elderly people and foreign nationals, and it is necessary to take measures that take into account physical conditions. The press is requested to give special consideration to coverage of this matter.
Quarantine of the cruise ship continues to be implemented. A new coronavirus test is conducted for those who need it, and the results will be announced later.An update from Princess Cruise Lines describes the disembarkation of passengers.
Updated February 19, 2020 UTC+9
End of Quarantine and Disembark Process
Princess Cruises confirms that the Embassies of Canada, Australia and Hong Kong are coordinating the collection and transport of their respective citizens (guests and crew) via charter flights today. Based on information provided by the embassies directly to their citizens, they will also require an additional 14 days of quarantine upon arrival in their country of origin. A negative COVID-19 test following this quarantine will be required before being allowed to travel to their final destination. We expect to receive confirmation of the exact numbers of those traveling on these charter flights after the flights have departed.
According to the Japanese Ministry of Health, the disembark process for those individuals who are not taking government repatriation flights will start today. The disembark process will be undertaken over several consecutive days, since they will be tested, and the testing and results require two to three days to complete. A certificate that indicates a negative COVID-19 test result is expected to be granted by Japanese health authorities to exit the ship.
Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president is back in Japan with other members of her team supporting our response operations and preparing for the disembarkation of our guests.
Working in coordination with the Japanese Ministry of Health, Princess Cruises will be monitoring the progress of guests who have contracted COVID-19 and will be offering travel assistance to these individuals upon their recovery (and delivery of a health certificate by Japanese health authorities).
Because of the extraordinary circumstances onboard Diamond Princess, the company is refunding the full cruise fare for all guests including air travel, hotel, ground transportation, pre-paid shore excursions, gratuities and other items. In addition, guests are not being charged for any onboard incidental charges during the additional time onboard. Princess Cruises will also provide guests with a future cruise credit equal to the cruise fare paid for the voyage.
Reporting of confirmed cases within Japan is becoming increasingly difficult to track, as individual Prefectures are now reporting cases, rather than a centralized list by the MOH.
At last count (yesterday) Japan had reported 73 cases (14 asymptomatic), unrelated to the Diamond Princess. There are press reports today of more cases around the country, including 2 in Hokkaido, raising concerns that the virus is becoming better entrenched in the community.While the release of passengers from the ship may entail some degree of risk, Japan appears resigned to the idea that the novel coronavirus is already spreading in their population, and appears to be gradually moving away from a containment strategy and towards mitigation.
