Infection aboard during Dec, Jan, Feb?

[Eddie99]

This is just me musing but I wonder if any winter cruisers remember “bugs” on their cruises before lockdown?

 

It’s taken me a while to connect things, but to be fair I’ve had a lot on my mind, personal as well as Covid.  However, listening to a news item today saying that the virus might have been in the population in Wuhan as early as October, and that many people may have had it but been asymptomatic, got me thinking, and remembering 

 

We were on N001, 35 nights ex Southampton, departing on 3 January.   Whilst planning the trip I recall saying to my OH that I hoped the ship wouldn’t be full of winter bugs and particularly coughing.  I also recall, early in the cruise, remarking how healthy the ship felt and maybe no-one had brought their germs aboard with them.  Then it started.  Our cabin steward went sick (I’ve never known that before), our gym instructor, a fit feisty Aussie, was laid low for nearly a week with cough, sore throat and temperature and on her return told us that the crew medical bay was ‘chocka’.  Ambulances met us at every port of call as we returned, to evacuate people (we were told) with severe respiratory problems.

 

A personal anecdote is that my London based daughter & family all had a ‘nasty bug’ in February, with assorted symptoms but with the children having extreme high temperatures.

 

This might all be rubbish or it might tie in well with an expert suggestion I linked to a day or two ago, that 70 or 80% of us might have had it - some with symptoms, some not.  If only there was a reliable test we might be able to get something sensible planned for all our futures.  
 

Aren’t you glad you’re not a senior cruise line executive?  

[Wedgeh]

As of the end of May the ONS reported that circa 1 in 15 people were testing positive for the antibodies, so I don't think the 70-80% number is very likely unfortunately.

[daiB]

We were on that cruise as well but I did not have the same experience as you. I cannot remember any of the regular people we saw having any problems. We ended up, as we always do, a “cabin cough” and no other symptoms.

We will only know when we get a test to see if we have had the virus.


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[jeanlyon]

Not cruising as such, but our friend who cruises with us was really ill in January, temp, severe cough, aches and pains.    She was treated for bronchitis, but later her breathing was a problem.  She has now recovered, but we are all fairly certain it was Covid.

[Josy1953]

We got home 8th March and while neither of us were ill on the cruise we were both not well the following week.  My husband ached so much that he could hardly walk, I had what I thought at the time was a bout of flu but now we both think that we may have actually had mild covid symptoms but unless we manage to have an antibody test in the future we will never know.

[KnowTheScore]

Yep.

 

Wife and I were on a Christmas cruise to the Canaries and the week after the cruise we came down with a strange virus.  Not a cold, not Flu, different from anything we'd previously had.   Wiped my wife out completely.   Fevers, no runny nose, persistent dry cough etc etc.   We were obviously incubating on the cruise and have no doubts we got it from the cruise (either from people on-board or from port visits or both).    We both got through it fine as we take care to eat good foods, maintain a strong immune system and have educated ourselves on natural remedies and the importance of leaving a fever to do its thing (thus NEVER EVER taking paracetamols, neurofens or other painkillers that force a fever down).

 

The internet is now replete with testimonies of people who now realise they had COVID-19 in December 2019 and Jan 2020 before the powers that be came clean and told the world.  There is no doubt at all that the virus was known about months before.  Earliest cases were Oct/Nov 2019.    We may take an immunity test at some stage but that depends whether they are using such tests as a back door way to build a huge DNA database of the population which I suspect they are doing.

If there's a spot test where I can be swabbed, tested there and then, and do so anonymously, then yep I'd get one just so I can confirm what we suspect, that we've been through COVID-19.

 

.

 

Edited June 9, 2020 by KnowTheScore

[jh1809]

I was on the Aurora cruise that must have been just about the last to leave Southampton, back in mid-March, and which had to return there five days later because P&O couldn't cobble together an alternative itinerary when Norway closed its ports to cruise ships. AFAIK, nobody went down with Covid-19 on board. In fact there seemed to be far less coughing and sneezing than usual on board, perhaps because P&O was checking everyone's temperature on embarkation. It was the healthiest cruise I've ever been on!

[Adawn47]

The friend of my daughter had all the classic symptoms and was hospitalised at the end of October for tests. The results on the papers she was given on discharge were 'respiratory viral infection. Unknown origin.'

Avril 

[P&O SUE]

14 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

The friend of my daughter had all the classic symptoms and was hospitalised at the end of October for tests. The results on the papers she was given on discharge were 'respiratory viral infection. Unknown origin.'

Avril 

Ooh that sounds like it could be doesn’t it?

 

I’m hearing more and more of these stories. I had a terrible cough in February which led me to have a week off work! I’ve never had more than a day of work for cold like symptoms before!
 

On the plus side perhaps this is the second wave we’re on now??

[SarahHben]

Not cruise related, but my uncle died in December after a chest infection very quickly deteriorated into severe bout of pneumonia requiring him to be in an induced coma. Some of the family now wonder if he could have had Covid-19 back then.


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[delgirl]

My mother-in-law was really poorly in January had a cough couldn't get rid of. My sister-in-laws next door neighbour had the same but worse eventually hospitalised with 'pneumonia'. I also had a nasty cough that I couldn't get rid of (never had a cough for so long) no cold but felt really ill for quite a few weeks. Remember going for a blood test for my blood pressure (was about a month late due to feeling ill) when I mentioned it to the girl who was taking my blood (can't remember what they are called, must be having a senior moment) she said oh you have had that nasty virus that alot of people have had. Makes you wonder.

 

[grapau27]

2 hours ago, Adawn47 said:

The friend of my daughter had all the classic symptoms and was hospitalised at the end of October for tests. The results on the papers she was given on discharge were 'respiratory viral infection. Unknown origin.'

Avril 

I was talking to one of the neighbours who is a taxi driver and he said in January he was transporting lots of Chinese students to Sunderland University and went down with a very bad virus and the hospital wrote Unknown virus on his notes too.

Edited June 9, 2020 by grapau27

[NoFlyGuy]

6 hours ago, Eddie99 said:

This is just me musing but I wonder if any winter cruisers remember “bugs” on their cruises before lockdown?

 

It’s taken me a while to connect things, but to be fair I’ve had a lot on my mind, personal as well as Covid.  However, listening to a news item today saying that the virus might have been in the population in Wuhan as early as October, and that many people may have had it but been asymptomatic, got me thinking, and remembering 

 

We were on N001, 35 nights ex Southampton, departing on 3 January.   Whilst planning the trip I recall saying to my OH that I hoped the ship wouldn’t be full of winter bugs and particularly coughing.  I also recall, early in the cruise, remarking how healthy the ship felt and maybe no-one had brought their germs aboard with them.  Then it started.  Our cabin steward went sick (I’ve never known that before), our gym instructor, a fit feisty Aussie, was laid low for nearly a week with cough, sore throat and temperature and on her return told us that the crew medical bay was ‘chocka’.  Ambulances met us at every port of call as we returned, to evacuate people (we were told) with severe respiratory problems.

 

A personal anecdote is that my London based daughter & family all had a ‘nasty bug’ in February, with assorted symptoms but with the children having extreme high temperatures.

 

This might all be rubbish or it might tie in well with an expert suggestion I linked to a day or two ago, that 70 or 80% of us might have had it - some with symptoms, some not.  If only there was a reliable test we might be able to get something sensible planned for all our futures.  
 

Aren’t you glad you’re not a senior cruise line executive?  

We were on N001 as well. Didn't notice anything untoward. I coughed a lot but that's usual - i'm a smoker and add to that the usual cabin cough that many of us get..

We were also on the Oceana Canaries cruise that got back on the 8th March - probably the last P&O cruise that had no real disruption. Nothing onboard to speak off that I know.

Yes there was a reported covid case in the south of Tenerife and excursions were cancelled to that area and we were advised not to travel to the area. 

[Adawn47]

59 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

I was talking to one of the neighbours who is a taxi driver and he said in January he was transporting lots of Chinese students to Sunderland University and went down with a very bad virus and the hospital wrote Unknown virus on his notes too.

What do hospitals do if they discover an 'unknown virus' I wonder? Surely it's not just ignored. Both Frank and I were very  poorly at the beginning of February. We thought it was flu and have never felt as ill. Makes you think.

Avril 

 

 

Edited June 9, 2020 by Adawn47

[Harry Peterson]

The trouble is, most of the symptoms reported here could equally apply to influenza. 

 

Quite a few people who've been convinced they've had Covid-19 have subsequently tested negative. 

[InVelvetSlumber]

It's possible that Covid came earlier, but as UK deaths didn't go above average until March, it seems unlikely

[Ataraxia]

My wife & I were on N001 this year as well. We were both fit & healthy when we embarked but noticed there were a large number of passengers with very bad coughs almost from day 1. 

Within 2 weeks I developed a very bad cough which unfortunately I passed onto my wife. She was very poorly & cabin bound as she was so unwell do missed most of the cruise. Eventually she made a visit to the medical centre which was over run with passengers displaying the same symptoms - a hacking cough, nasty chest infection, feeling very weak, etc. After a weeks course of antibiotics & cough medicine my wife was no better. She had lost all sense of taste & smell & also ended up with a severe stomach upset. 

She had been down to the Medical Centre, and she was tested for influenza, which was negative. One of the nurses stated that they had never seen anything like it, and they were rapidly running out of medicine.

The Sunday before we docked in The Azores she was taken down to the medical bay & put on intravenous antibiotics, rehydration meds, paracetamol etc. After blood tests & x-rays the Doctor confirmed she had pneumonia & was taken by ambulance from the ship in The Azores along with 5 other passengers. 

2 of the 5 were later able to return to the Ventura but unfortunately 3 passengers including my wife were detained in hospital. Fortunately my wife was only kept in for the day but by the time we left the hospital at 9 pm the ship had sailed. We spent a week on the island whilst awaiting repatriation organised by our insurance company. 

My wife is fully recovered now but it took her a number of weeks to finally recover. 

It may not have been Covid 19, but may have been a previous version.

I also find it strange that one of the people on here who states they had seen nothing untowards had a long conversation with me about the sickness on board.
 

[Ardennais]

My husband and I were on this cruise too (N001) and didn’t really notice that much coughing until the last morning when we sat in the lounge for quite a while waiting disembarkation. We weren’t aware of the ambulances nor the fact that the medical centre was busy! We were among the youngest 10% on board.

[NoFlyGuy]

Maybe it's just me having a senior moment but I don't recollect ambulances at every port. In fact for a 35 night cruise with a largely aged passenger profile there seemed to be very little obvious problems.

Can't remember ambulances at Bonaire, Curacao, Puerto Limon, Colon, Cartagena et al.

Not saying there wasn't any serious problems for some passengers over the 35 nights - sadly that is quite normal and I hope that any affected are now fully recovered.

Do I think that N001 had Covid-19 onboard, then no. Just as I don't believe our Oceana cruise that returned on the 8th March had any cases.

Just my view of course.