What is being done about coronavirus.....

[ronrick1943]

4 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

Unfortunately, the formatting caused my listing to read incorrectly.  I am reposting and putting a "/" in between the number of cases and the number of deaths.  It likely would have been earlier to just say that the only deaths are in China, Hong Kong and the Philippines.

 

Places.   Confirmed Cases / Reported Deaths

China Mainland.   63,851. /1,380

Cruise ship (Diamond Princess. )219/0

Singapore. 58/ 0

Hong Kong. 51/ 1

Thailand. 33/ 0

Japan. 32/ 1

South Korea. 28/ 0

Malaysia. 19/ 0

Taiwan. 18/ 0

Germany. 16/0

Australia. 1/50

United State. 15/0

Vietnam 15/0

France.  11/0

Macau. 10/0

United Kingdom. 9/0

United Arab Emirates. 8/0

Canada. 7/0 

India.  3/0

Italy.  3/0

Philippines 3/1

Russia 2/0

Spain 2/0

Belgium 1/0

Cambodia 1/0

Finland. 1/0

Nepal. 1/0

Sri Lanka. 1/0

Sweden. 1/0

As of 7:00 am GMTFeb 14, 2020

A lot of work, interesting and thanks.

[ronrick1943]

31 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

Just noticed a new thread on this subject (facts only - focus on March cruises).  This will give me time to prepare for our non-coronavirus related cruise instead of keeping up with latest developments on this thread.

 

greykitty - thank you for posting the link to the CDC article that I heard about.  Sadly, this issue is not going away anytime soon as, so far, they have not determined the source, have not been able to stabilize it and the numbers keep growing.

 

This is sad for the world and certainly the cruise industry.  

 

Be safe everyone.  Will be back posting live from our Splendor cruise a month from today!

Be looking forward to reading your post regarding the Splendor, we'll be boarding the Splendor when you're getting off---have a great cruise with safe travels. 

[Travelcat2]

1 hour ago, ronrick1943 said:

Be looking forward to reading your post regarding the Splendor, we'll be boarding the Splendor when you're getting off---have a great cruise with safe travels. 

 

Thank you so much.  We’ll take care of her for you.

 

If I had time (which I don’t), I would follow the other thread but I am not sure where “facts” are going to come from.  Sadly, as of today, no one knows much about this virus.

[bebop bonnie]

My future travels don't take me to Asia until next year, so I don't feel the frustration and anxiety so many of you are experiencing. I can appreciate that stress!  However, obviously those directly affected with the illness or exposure is of greater concern to all of us.  I also think that while Regent is perhaps not communicating as quickly as we'd like.... I have a friend ready to sail on another luxury cruise line, experiencing the similar lack of communication.  Having said that, I do feel great empathy for everyone in the travel business effected by this (which pretty much means the total travel industry).  For the cruise and airline industries, and particularly the travel agents, I can't imagine the stress they are all feeling.  Travel agents are clearly caught in the middle, waiting for direction from the cruise lines, trying to keep their clients calm and scrambling to reschedule, and keep together  so many components of any trip/cruise.  Just my thoughts.

[flossie009]

17 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

If I had time (which I don’t), I would follow the other thread but I am not sure where “facts” are going to come from.  Sadly, as of today, no one knows much about this virus.

 

When I started the other thread, about a week ago, it was not designed to replace this thread or to gather data about the covid-19 virus.

Rather it was to focus on the forthcoming Voyager cruises and to draw together information about those cruises; particularly where there was either lack of information, or conflicting messages coming from Regent or its agents around the world (sometimes understandable during these periods of fast changing decisions affecting cruise ships, especially in Asia)

 

Facts about the virus, its impacts and its spread are best gleaned from the W.H.O., Government travel advice and reputable news agencies.

[Travelcat2]

Just now, flossie009 said:

 

When I started the other thread, about a week ago, it was not designed to replace this thread or to gather data about the covid-19 virus.

Rather it was to focus on the forthcoming Voyager cruises and to draw together information about those cruises; particularly where there was either lack of information, or conflicting messages coming from Regent or its agents around the world (sometimes understandable during these periods of fast changing decisions affecting cruise ships, especially in Asia)

 

Facts about the virus, its impacts and its spread are best gleaned from the W.H.O., Government travel advice and reputable news agencies.

 

Unfortunately, as you have seen, it is not possible to give much factual information.  Some TA's (like ours) are passing on information to their clients immediately upon receiving it from Regent (fact). Others TA's, for some reason, are either not passing on the information or their clients are not reading it.  The Center for Disease Control in the U.S. as well as the World Health Organization cannot yet identify the cause of the virus so there is nothing factual that I have read.  At this point, containment is also an unresolved issue as well as treatment.

 

The last I read, information for the February cruises as well as the March 1st cruise is available (that seem factual - at least in the U.S.).  The March 13th cruise will likely depend upon what happens day to day between now and when it must be announced (I certainly do. not blame them for waiting....... if they announce too early, the odds of things changing are much greater).  

 

Unfortunately, whether we have new threads or not, we will continue to wait for information and this likely will continue through the rest of this year (according to some sources - definitely not factual information).  In my opinion, if it gets any worse in Asia, some cruises will be cancelled.  Regent does not want to put their passengers, crew or ships in jeopardy.  

 

I understand that the new thread does not replace this one, and it is for specific cruises, it feels like I can take a break (unless there is something new to report).  In the meantime, I hope that Regent gets the credit that they deserve (as well as the U.S. government that are getting U.S. citizens off of the Princess ship beginning today or tomorrow.).  Hoping that other governments step up and do the same.

 

Note:  In my opinion, if you have to be stuck or quarantined somewhere, Tokyo is better than some other. ports.  They have modern hospitals and they are at least as advanced as the U.S.  (I found Australian doctors and hospitals to be superb as well).  

[Travelcat2]

Most of you have likely read this but I'm posting for those that have not:

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51514837

 

[Hambagahle]

I rather think that we are over-reacting to this virus.   Yes - it infects a lot of people.  Like the flu does.  And yes, people die.  Similar (but it seems actually fewer) than those who get the seasonal flu.    (I would like to see the statistics on that...)

 

The majority of those who have died seem to have been over 80.  And in poor health.  And that, to me, is totally understandable.  As is the fact that far more people have died in China than elsewhere.  Maybe because the virus was "covered up" for some time before statistics were announced ??

 

I worry about the flu every winter.  I get a flu shot. I take my Bronco Vaxom.  I have a tendency to get pneumonia (based on a childhood illness in the '40s)   So far I am still alive.  And plan to stay so as long as I can.  Eventually I will die.  That I am afraid is life!  I cannot spend my days worrying about all this nor can I second guess people trained in medecine.

 

For the moment I plan to go on with things, flying to SFO on 6 March.  Boarding Splendor on 14th March (hurray!!).  And I will deal with what comes when it comes - IF it does.

 

 

[DaveFr]

1 hour ago, Hambagahle said:

I rather think that we are over-reacting to this virus.   Yes - it infects a lot of people.  Like the flu does.  And yes, people die.  Similar (but it seems actually fewer) than those who get the seasonal flu.    (I would like to see the statistics on that...)

 

The majority of those who have died seem to have been over 80.  And in poor health.  And that, to me, is totally understandable.  As is the fact that far more people have died in China than elsewhere.  Maybe because the virus was "covered up" for some time before statistics were announced ??

 

I worry about the flu every winter.  I get a flu shot. I take my Bronco Vaxom.  I have a tendency to get pneumonia (based on a childhood illness in the '40s)   So far I am still alive.  And plan to stay so as long as I can.  Eventually I will die.  That I am afraid is life!  I cannot spend my days worrying about all this nor can I second guess people trained in medecine.

 

For the moment I plan to go on with things, flying to SFO on 6 March.  Boarding Splendor on 14th March (hurray!!).  And I will deal with what comes when it comes - IF it does.

 

 

Gerry,

 

I agree completely that we should be careful about overreacting to the new coronavirus. I found a late 2017 news release from WHO which states that WHO and the CDC estimate that 290,000 to 650,000 people die of respiratory diseases linked to seasonal flu each year.  See: https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/14-12-2017-up-to-650-000-people-die-of-respiratory-diseases-linked-to-seasonal-flu-each-year

 

Dave

[RachelG]

Totally agree about over reactions.  My son’s fiancé, age 25, died from complications of the flu 2 years ago.  She was healthy.  She probably waited too long to go to the doctor, but influenza kills hundreds of thousands each year.  I diagnosed 5 cases of flu in my office ( a gynecologic surgery practice) last week, including one patient who came in for her preop.  We stick masks on any one who looks sick And make liberal use of hand sanitizer and lysol, but they are touching everything, coughing and sneezing.   And we aren’t in a panic about that.

[Travelcat2]

12 minutes ago, RachelG said:

Totally agree about over reactions.  My son’s fiancé, age 25, died from complications of the flu 2 years ago.  She was healthy.  She probably waited too long to go to the doctor, but influenza kills hundreds of thousands each year.  I diagnosed 5 cases of flu in my office ( a gynecologic surgery practice) last week, including one patient who came in for her preop.  We stick masks on any one who looks sick And make liberal use of hand sanitizer and lysol, but they are touching everything, coughing and sneezing.   And we aren’t in a panic about that.

 

Rachel - so glad that you are back from vacation (it sounded as if you totally enjoyed it).  What happened with your son's fiancé is terrible ....... very sad.  I am stunned by how many people I know that do not get a flu shot.  They are afraid of getting the flu.  We get it every year as we are afraid of dying if we do get the flu.  

 

I do have one question for you.  I've asked before with no response.  You state that you hand out masks to anyone that looks sick.  We have the approved masks as well as the new charcoal masks (had these before we knew about the new virus).  What do you do with the masks when they are removed?  I understand that hands need to be disinfected after removing them but I don't think that it is safe to put them in with general trash.  Any suggestions?

 

Gerry - Dennis was getting pneumonia too often (even had it on Explorer).  He has now completed his pneumonia inoculations and has not had it since (fingers crossed that this will continue).  At his advanced age, I do worry.

 

You are correct about the age range of deaths from the virus.  Out of interest, I tried to learn the ages of people that have passed from the coronavirus.  This link  https://www.reddit.com/r/Coronavirus/comments/etwl7o/coronavirus_deaths_by_age_groups/

 

is 21 days old but does show that it does not seem to affect people under 30.  

 

I know that the flu is much worse but, there is a vaccine for it (maybe not 100% effective but it is quite effective).  It will be quite a while before anything is developed for this new virus.

 

In any case, stay healthy - clean the area around you on the plane (especially the tray for food) and we will see you 4 weeks from today!

 

[kaleighsgram]

Twenty plus years ago, while teaching first grade, I picked up every germ that was in that classroom causing me to weaken my immune system. I was then referred to the doctors at Yale who gave me lots of good advice.  First and foremost was wash your hands. Keep your hands away from your face, especially eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, places where germs can enter the body.  It was stressed that washing your hands before using the bathroom was even more important than washing your hands afterwards. Use the first stall in a public restroom as it’s the least used, therefore less germs. And lastly, if I went out to a store or a gathering of friends, I was to wash my hair (he called it a germ magnet) before putting my  head on my pillow since most people roll over and their face lands on the very spot where the germs landed.  I still follow a lot of this advice, especially during flu season.  Good luck.  

Pat

[kkinaus]

13 minutes ago, kaleighsgram said:

Twenty plus years ago, while teaching first grade, I picked up every germ that was in that classroom causing me to weaken my immune system. I was then referred to the doctors at Yale who gave me lots of good advice.  First and foremost was wash your hands. Keep your hands away from your face, especially eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, places where germs can enter the body.  It was stressed that washing your hands before using the bathroom was even more important than washing your hands afterwards. Use the first stall in a public restroom as it’s the least used, therefore less germs. And lastly, if I went out to a store or a gathering of friends, I was to wash my hair (he called it a germ magnet) before putting my  head on my pillow since most people roll over and their face lands on the very spot where the germs landed.  I still follow a lot of this advice, especially during flu season.  Good luck.  

Pat

Good advice, Thanks Pat.

[indigosea]

On 2/14/2020 at 8:58 AM, Wendy The Wanderer said:

Just read over on the Viking board that, "Viking have decided to bypass, in addition to China and HK, Thailand, Singapore and Philippines."  This pertains to their current WC on the Sun. Interesting.

Hi Wendy

reporting from Mariner..

rejected by both Samoas we are enroute to Fiji where they have added Suva the day after Lautoka. We will have a 6 hour inspection when we arrive. We all understand the gravity of the situation and we are a very healthy very sanitized ship right now. Pax and crew are hopefully optimistic about future ports and trust Regents decisions. Captain passes on info as he gets it. I am having a great time and enjoying 

everything !

[mrlevin]

Any reports from someone that is on Voyager which is currently arriving in Singapore?

Edited February 16, 2020 by mrlevin

[Travelcat2]

11 minutes ago, mrlevin said:

Any reports from those on Voyager who is arriving in Singapore?

 

No reports but I just checked and the port is open and is receiving ships.  Of course, this can change at any time.  

 

In my opinion, since this is an important port, it seems as if they are trying to keep it open.   The following is copied and pasted from an article (2 days ago) on the MSNBC website:

 

• Singapore must be prepared for the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country to continue to climb in the coming weeks, said Janil Puthucheary, senior minister of state at Singapore’s Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Communications and Information.
• The Southeast Asian nation with a population of 5.7 million has one of the highest numbers of cases outside China.
• Singapore has not recorded any deaths, but that too is something people must be “psychologically prepared” for as the number of cases continue to rise, Puthucheary said.

[mrlevin]

Jackie, I was hoping from a report from someone on the Voyager; not someone in Bellingham.

 

Voyager needs to stop in Singapore for resupply; that doesn't mean that anyone will be let ashore.  They might just sit at dock all day to load up.

Edited February 16, 2020 by mrlevin

[ronrick1943]

1 hour ago, kaleighsgram said:

Twenty plus years ago, while teaching first grade, I picked up every germ that was in that classroom causing me to weaken my immune system. I was then referred to the doctors at Yale who gave me lots of good advice.  First and foremost was wash your hands. Keep your hands away from your face, especially eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, places where germs can enter the body.  It was stressed that washing your hands before using the bathroom was even more important than washing your hands afterwards. Use the first stall in a public restroom as it’s the least used, therefore less germs. And lastly, if I went out to a store or a gathering of friends, I was to wash my hair (he called it a germ magnet) before putting my  head on my pillow since most people roll over and their face lands on the very spot where the germs landed.  I still follow a lot of this advice, especially during flu season.  Good luck.  

Pat

That is sound advice - it's a fact that washing hands makes the difference. Wishing everyone would follow that rule.

[Focused1]

5 hours ago, Hambagahle said:

I rather think that we are over-reacting to this virus.   Yes - it infects a lot of people.  Like the flu does.  And yes, people die.  Similar (but it seems actually fewer) than those who get the seasonal flu.    (I would like to see the statistics on that...)

 

The majority of those who have died seem to have been over 80.  And in poor health.  And that, to me, is totally understandable.  As is the fact that far more people have died in China than elsewhere.  Maybe because the virus was "covered up" for some time before statistics were announced ??

 

I worry about the flu every winter.  I get a flu shot. I take my Bronco Vaxom.  I have a tendency to get pneumonia (based on a childhood illness in the '40s)   So far I am still alive.  And plan to stay so as long as I can.  Eventually I will die.  That I am afraid is life!  I cannot spend my days worrying about all this nor can I second guess people trained in medecine.

 

For the moment I plan to go on with things, flying to SFO on 6 March.  Boarding Splendor on 14th March (hurray!!).  And I will deal with what comes when it comes - IF it does.

 

 

I like your outlook on this. So true. You do the best you can to prevent illness and deal with it when and if it happens. In the meantime, enjoy every minute doing what you love.  I hope you have a wonderful cruise on the Splendor in March. 

[Pcardad]

1 hour ago, mrlevin said:

Jackie, I was hoping from a report from someone on the Voyager; not someone in Bellingham.

 

Voyager needs to stop in Singapore for resupply; that doesn't mean that anyone will be let ashore.  They might just sit at dock all day to load up.

 

Voyager is docked in Singapore and passengers are ashore.

[mrlevin]

1 minute ago, Pcardad said:

 

Voyager is docked in Singapore and passengers are ashore.

 

Thanks for the update.  Next item of interest will be whether Vietnam lets them port after being in Singapore.

 

Marc

[journeyfan]

16 minutes ago, mrlevin said:

Jackie, I was hoping from a report from someone on the Voyager; not someone in Bellingham.

Loved it!😀😀😀😀

[Travelcat2]

2 hours ago, mrlevin said:

Jackie, I was hoping from a report from someone on the Voyager; not someone in Bellingham.

 

Voyager needs to stop in Singapore for resupply; that doesn't mean that anyone will be let ashore.  They might just sit at dock all day to load up.

 

And, like I said, ships are still going to and leaving from Singapore.  It doesn't really matter where in the world that you live - the information is the same (and is from Singapore).

[Hambagahle]

Remember that Singapore is a small island state.  Has one of the highest population densities in the world.   Any disease moves to infect people more quickly when people are living close together (as in HKG and China...).  I hope the measures required when the passengers reboarded in SIN were stringent.    Singaporeans are well accustomed to stringent rules.  And they take them seriously.  I hope the passengers did too.

 

During the SARS epidemic the Beijing International School remained open.  (Unlike a lot of other schools).  The administration there instituted a supervised hand washing session every 30 mns or so.  (Probably at the end of each class period).  Guess what?  There were no cases of SARS among teachers or students and in fact they recorded fewer "ordinary" absences from the children.   I think that tells us something...

[kaleighsgram]

11 hours ago, ronrick1943 said:

That is sound advice - it's a fact that washing hands makes the difference. Wishing everyone would follow that rule.

We also need to get people to cough/sneeze into their elbows. Every little bit helps.