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Japan reports 3rd cruise ship passenger death; 57 more infected

70 Comments
By MARI YAMAGUCHI

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Seeing how quickly and easily this virus spreads and they still allowed people from this ship to use public transportation to go home and continue on with a normal life.

It is time for the government to step aside and let the real experts do their job. Start with calling back Dr. Iwata.

28 ( +33 / -5 )

One thing is clear:

The Japanese government does not exist to protect the people, it exists to protect itself from the people.

25 ( +29 / -4 )

The Japanese government does not exist to protect the people, it exists to protect itself from the people.

Spot on!

It will be interesting to see how they handle the Tokyo Olympic Games. How will they protect themselves from world attention, and corporate giants?

14 ( +17 / -3 )

Japanese officials say they did their best given the challenging situation on the ship and the large number of people they had to deal with.

Bull, this has now turned into the 'make excuses game" and do your best to admit that you had no idea what you were doing!

13 ( +18 / -5 )

> On Saturday, a former passenger in her 60s tested positive for the virus after getting off the ship and taking a train home. Her husband, who traveled with her, tested negative again.

The people in charge do not have a clue!

12 ( +14 / -2 )

Japanese officials say they did their best given the challenging situation on the ship and the large number of people they had to deal with.

Also keep in mind that this is not the only cruise ship in the world that had/has infected people. It is however the only one with almost 700 infected.

11 ( +15 / -4 )

The incubator ship is living up to its name. It’s still difficult to believe they let people off this ship without being tested.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

Clueless, quarantine was not handled as quarantine should be, the abortary 14 days was a bueacatic time line with no thought about what was actually happening. Thank god Abes administration wasn't in power during Fukashima, we would all be in a much worse position. Now we have to watch the response to a crisis actually make another crisis. Pathetic.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Who cares if the infection rate is very high

you obviously don’t have any acquaintances who are elderly or have underlying health conditions. Good for you.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

There is a TIME to prepare and there is a TIME when you 'cannot' prepare. If this gets out of control then freedom of movement will be put in place.

Just like in any other possible emergency one should always be aware of what to do and be prepared mentally handle such unforeseen situations. Disasters happen, yet the ones who are mentally prepared will not panic with the herd.

"Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has ordered a government task force to prepare for a potential surge in the number of people infected with the new coronavirus.

Abe told the task force on Sunday that the situation has entered a crucial phase after cases with unknown infection routes were reported in multiple regions of the country."

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Mortality rate is normal for this outbreak (it's no worse than the common cold )-

People need to stop posting outright lies. The common cold does NOT have a mortality rate anywhere near 2%. It does not render the infected with severe/critical condition in 21% cases as COVID-19 so far has.

8 ( +11 / -3 )

Is cruise to visit other nation that much fun? Isn’t it more stressful for them with the sea sickness, traveling etc? 

Moving around is challenging at that age. Finding your hotel, checking out of your hotel, losing your belongings, and so on. It is less stressful to just get on the ship and let them take care of everything.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

For the sky is falling crowd who abhor actual data and math, the infection rate is 1/100,000th of the flu.

You do realise covid-19 is in ADDITION to the flu don't you? Not in lieu of, in addition to, and it's novel, no vaccines, no understanding of its virulence, no understanding of its effects.

Using your sky held up with skyhooks maths, nothing to worry about in China either, 1.5 billion population n all. Yet...

Now as for Japan...and competency...in order of escalation:

Detection - Fail, max 300 tests per day? For a country of how many? For a country tgat welcones how many foreign visitors each day?

Beyond detection, quarantine - Fail, going by Diamond Princess. Military base quarantine, may be adequate for land population but could easily be swamped, and BTW, quarantine only works if enforced, currently it's not enforced.

Beyond quarantine, Isolation - Significant Potential for fail, if they don't enforced quarantine, likely same logic applies for Isolation.

Beyond Isolation, ICU/treatment facility - ??? lots of it, given they can only test 300 per day max.

IMHO, quacks like unprepared, it probably is unprepared.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

57 people testing positive 5 days after the quarantine has ended. 23 people leaving the boat without ever being tested. 1 person (so far) released from quarantine and uses public transportation to cross Tokyo and then tests positive at home.

It’s hard to trust that this was a very effective quarantine.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Sorry, but where is your data?

Plenty available online.

First case 16th Januaray, and as of today 837 infected, of which 43 remains serious, and 3 deaths.

One month, over 800 infected. I don't know which planet you're from, but seems like it could easily swamp health infrastructure here. Does Japan even have an extra 800 isolation rooms to spare?

So far, this "virus" has an infection rate of 1 in a 1,000,000

No! it has an infection rate of 20% going by the cruiseship data. You can't count unexposed people, because that's the premise of 'quarantine' ie to limit exposure.

6 ( +9 / -3 )

Sustained community outbreak now in at least five countries: China, Japan, Korea, Iran, Italy. In fact, Italy has just locked down entire towns, Chinese style. 50,000 people in complete quarantine, until who knows when. Austria has started refusing trains from that country. Korea also in really bad shape and telling people in Daegu to self quarantine (for the moment).

The dreaded "P" has likely been underway since December, stealthily spreading here and around the world. 

Officials here are no doubt waiting for the dreaded "P" word to be offically announced by the WHO.

Japan, waiting for official announcements isn't going to halt the spread. The virus doesn't care about or respect officialdom or bureaucracy. The business as usual approach won't work.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

In Japan people are trying to avoid catching the COVID-19 virus. Many organizations have cancelled large and small gatherings. People are wearing masks at a higher than usual rate, and many locations have deployed hand sanitizer stations at entrances. It's interesting that people here are still using the name "New Coronavirus" rather than the official name, COVID-19.

The prevention measures I am seeing reflect a lack of understanding of how the virus spreads and how to do infection control. Masks don't protect you, hand washing does. Masks can actually make you more likely to get sick because people are constantly touching and adjusting them, wearing them multiple times, and for long periods. Masks should be used by sick people to protect others - not to avoid getting sick yourself. You should wash your hands when you enter a place and when you leave it. Don't touch your eyes, nose or mouth if you haven't just washed you hands. And, remember that your cloths are contaminated. Also, note that chlorine bleach (1 ml per liter is very effective at killing viruses). Wash you hands frequently, don't touch you face with contaminated hands, wash your face, stay away from sick people, treat your cloths as contaminated.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

It IS spreading in Japan, and elsewhere.

https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/geographical-distribution-2019-ncov-cases

The issue is, numbers are likely far higher due to the fact that you can be asymptomatic for weeks. And, remember that until just a few days ago it wasn't even possible to get tested in Japan, unless connected to the cruise ship. Even then, it's not a matter of just going to a hospital. You have to have 4 or more days of a sustained temperature at or over 37.5oC, and then call a specific number. They will decide if you should be tested or not. But good luck even getting through on the hotline. Even if you do get through, most are turned away. Your fate may be decided by a phone operator.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

This is the problem of the J government, they continue to follow their own made up guidelines instead of CDC procedure, the spread of virus minimum here but that's more lucky than solid prevention measures

5 ( +7 / -2 )

@Burning Bush

Plenty of end of the world doomsday posters here.

Sorry, but where is your data?

Actual infection rates are miniscule.

Minuscule? Around 20% of the passengers on the ship have contracted the virus. I wouldn't call that minuscule. I wouldn't call nearly 2,000 deaths in China minuscule either. Now, there is another outbreak of the virus in Italy, which is causing mass-panic. Many other countries are closing their boarders. All this within the first three months of the detection of this particular strain of coronavirus. There have been too many mistakes made in controlling this virus and I fear the worst is yet to come. That is not doomsday posting. It is a prediction based on facts.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

no other government will let passengers off the ship with 20-30% infection rate, no one that dumb, except here

those kind of decisions are made by the politicians who know nothing about infectious diseases

5 ( +8 / -3 )

Don't forget kwatt,

Tokyo was intending on using a passenger ship or two during the Olympics to make up for the lack of hotel rooms.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

When some posters here find domestic travel is impossible or entering another country is impossible, then reality will finally be part of their lives as it is for millions outside Japan now!

4 ( +4 / -0 )

now Japanese will probablly be refused enteries to other countries. What a joke!

Not probably but reality.

Israel’s Heath Ministry said Sunday that the country will refuse entry for non-Israeli travelers who have been in Japan or South Korea in the past 14 days, due to the spreading infections with the COVID-19 coronavirus there.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

There is really a lot of 80yrs old people on this cruise ship. Is cruise to visit other nation that much fun? Isn’t it more stressful for them with the sea sickness, traveling etc? Guess is one way to enjoy retirement. But this turn out to be a nightmare.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Fighto...it says +150...am I missing something?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Oh I see. So it changed? That is interesting. Reminds me of what was happening to the numbers very early on (when the website in Taiwan caught the fudged numbers). Anyway thank you for this link.

Regarding the mortality rate (the debate above). I think it is very difficult to know as the numbers seem to be questionable.

It seems this is very contagious and based on everything I have seen I am thinking obviously less deadly than SARS but more deadly than the cold or flu. I still think around 1% would be accurate (but this is certainly not scientific). It would seem many people get this, do not seek medical attention, and recover which would never be counted in the number of cases nor would it be in the denominator of the death rate calculation. The think that is scary in the website linked by FIghto is the number of cases that are shown as Serious, Critical in China.

I still think it is too early to tell how deadly this is.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Because the government refuse to strengthen the ban of people coming from China, now Japanese will probablly be refused enteries to other countries. What a joke!

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Burning Bush, you have a point, but I think what is fueling this fear is the unknown, and the fact there is not really proper treatment for the virus. Of course the flu kills many more people annually, but we do have meds to deal with it, if we become infected. If they can come up with some kind of medicine to fight it, and people feel that even though it is out there spreading, but there is help, that may quash this fear.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Nonsense and you know it. They were tested.

He’s talking about the 23 let off without being tested and for which Kato apologized.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Making calls everyday ?

What a loss of manpower and money !

It won't change the fact that each infected "escaped" person will have transmitted disease to others...

2 ( +2 / -0 )

"The number of cases in Japan has been falsely inflated by the cruise liner."

Is the Diamond Princess not in Japan?

2 ( +4 / -2 )

@tamanegi

The Olympic games may be held without spectators if Japan is still all screwed up until July. Ship may be no need as hotel any more. More or less spread affects Olympics.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Burning bush

the number is low because they’re not testing the population for the virus, it’s as simple as that.

and please feel free to check the facts:

https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/newpage_09690.html

only 693 tests conducted since the beginning of the pandemic.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Following their own guideline, is that why the good doctor said the ship was more scare than in Hong Kong SARS. and Africa during Ebola crisis

this is highest infection in the world and you want J government to follow their own procedures, let everyone off the ship without 14 days buffer. Letting them off at Yokohama station like nothing happened in the ship

i understand you are loyal to your government but maybe, just maybe because people like you keep giving them rubber stamp , they continue stretch the laws to make their own guidelines. Sakura party, land / School scandal , ministers missing Emergency C 19 meetings for parties and many more

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Fighto....is there some kind of link for this? I have been worried about the recent silence on what is going on in China

1 ( +1 / -0 )

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries

This is truly scary.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Looks like the "989 deaths" reported on worldometers at 12.00PM has been revised down to 150 deaths. What accuracy the numbers out of China are is dubious, but 150 is at least better than 989.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Should have could have. Still talking about the ship? Need to think about building facilities. There are not enough beds to deal with the infected at the rate it is spreading Zero is reporting.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

this ship is not our problem this ship is based in U K

Japan has taken on the responsibility of the passengers on this ship, and their care/quarantine, regardless of where the ship is registered.

Or in other words, your point of discussion is now outdated. That is to say, that ship has sailed.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

And some fools still believe "this is just a flu".

0 ( +8 / -8 )

On Saturday, a former passenger in her 60s tested positive for the virus after getting off the ship and taking a train home. Her husband, who traveled with her, tested negative again.

The article further says there're cases of infection whose transmission routes are unclear. So let's hope everything about this virus will become crystal-clear as soon as possible.

What we need now is correct information and knowledge about it. Until that is clear, all measures taken by the government should be for the putative worst case scenario.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

And some fools still believe "this is just a flu".

And some fools think its a flu at all. Corona is a cold virus. This strain is special because it causes pneumonia. Does the article even say pneumonia? No it doesn't. It just keeps hammering away using the term "the virus". This is most irresponsible. I guarantee the geriatric man died from pneumonia induced by Covid-19, not just by "the virus". And pneumonia has always killed old people. People will fill in any gaps with terror and false information, the press knows this and uses this. Its sickening and it should be illegal.

0 ( +8 / -8 )

Detection - Fail, max 300 tests per day? For a country of how many? For a country tgat welcones how many foreign visitors each day

This one brilliant. They were saving the test kits.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Mortality rate is currently 3.1% outmatching Spanish flu. 2470 / 79157 mortality, 23564 / 79157 recovery

citation: systems.jhu.edu

Again though this is just based on what China data is released, if it can be believed. Since that's a majority of the cases it skews the results.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

why is some are still talking about where the actual port of the ship? i know that they are trying to distract this main issue with how inadequate J government has been with management of this virus

this ship is not our problem this ship is based in U K answer has been used by some of the government Pros continuously. you can continue to use this spin but responsibility will be go away or forgotten

0 ( +0 / -0 )

In addition to the above mentioned cases, there are more.

https://www.kanaloco.jp/article/entry-279545.html

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Meanwhile reported flu cases dropped by more than 60% probably due to the covid19 scare, as reported in Japan times. Covid19 might have actually saved a lot of lives.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@quercetum

It is going to be very fine if you support billions of yen for building facilities. Quarantine really costs incredibly a lot. I know the biggest problem is money. That's why nations tried not to evacuate their citizens from the ship soon. If their citizens were cured in Japan, their nations would not have to use a lot of money for such quarantine.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Hopefully, awareness and measures brought about by this new disease will lead to less total deaths than it would have been due to flu alone.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

News just in : almost 1000 deaths for the day in China. This is getting far, far worse - no matter how much people are trying to downplay things.

That’s not what I read. Can you clear this up, cobber?

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

If Japan can get through this week without a sharp increase in new cases, we should hopefully be OK.

-3 ( +5 / -8 )

None of them should have been falsely imprisoned on a cruise ship totally unfit for quarantine. The three who died might well have survived if they had been immediately put into a proper hospital. But who knows what the doomsday people would have done if that had happened? You know why people think this is a pandemic? Because they never saw any reporting or data on the spread of any other cold, that's why. So much of this is not new in the slightest, not surprising, and in fact, quite boring. But some people want their daily panic attack. I wish they would find a more constructive and private means of doing that.

-3 ( +5 / -8 )

It seems to me all posters agreed Japan should have rejected the permission of docking to Yokohama port. It would have gone back to the port where it sailed from. Nations would send planes and rescue their citizens from there. It would have not been Japan's failure/fault about such quarantine. Japan, Guam, Taiwan, Philippine, Hong Kong,,,,,,,all rejected Westerdam ship anyway, except Cambodia.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Japan should really have kicked the ship out of Japan. Outbreaks occur again and again in the future. Japan will reject all ships next time. Passengers better be aware of it before boarding.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

It seems to me all posters agreed Japan should have rejected the permission of docking to Yokohama port.

I agree, should have sent the ship back to it's home port.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

How do you define home port? 

London tells you where is home port. At least NOT Japan. The ship was built in Japan. It now belongs to UK/US. UK and US should have figured out more carefully where is best quarantine facility for 3700 passengers. In the first place Japan doesn't have enough beds for patients, virus examiners, reagents to virus,,, everything. That's why Japan has been all screwed up since outbreak.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

News just in : almost 1000 deaths for the day in China. This is getting far, far worse - no matter how much people are trying to downplay things.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

I'm curious as to why no one is talking about the mortality rate. Currently in Japan it's 4 deaths of 838 confirmed cases = 0.48%. CDC states Spanish flu was greater than 2.5%.

At least 3 of these deaths were people in their 80s, apparently 2 of them went on the cruise already in ill health, knowing it's likely to be their last holiday together.

Who cares if the infection rate is very high - people will miss work, economies will suffer a little bit. Mortality rate is normal for this outbreak (it's no worse than the common cold )- if you judge by the stats presented here (yes, all government lie, all the time - but I'd suggest Japan govt lies less than some other countries)

-6 ( +4 / -10 )

3RENSHOToday

"The number of cases in Japan has been falsely inflated by the cruise liner."

Is the Diamond Princess not in Japan?

It's not the Japanese mainland, it isn't part of the population. If you take the number of people infected in Japan itself, not a cruise liner it's very small. The liner is an anomaly. It was an incubator for the virus before it even docked in Yokohama...

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

The number of cases in Japan has been falsely inflated by the cruise liner.

-7 ( +1 / -8 )

This is the problem of the J government, they continue to follow their own made up guidelines instead of CDC procedure.

Would any government follow guidelines set by another country? Let us put it another way.

This is the problem of the American government, they continue to follow their own made up guidelines instead of Japanese procedures.

What you about the above statement?

In fact, the CDC could not even handled the Flu, which killed 10,00 Americans this season and could not even handle H1N1 which killed 12,000 Americans. I think Japan should follow its own guidelines. Thanks.

-9 ( +3 / -12 )

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