How did the novel coronavirus spread so fast on cruise ships?

The Diamond Princess cruise ship is now being quarantined in the territorial waters of Yokohama, Japan, following the discovery of an infected passenger novel coronavirus . The ship is planned to be quarantined for 14 days to prevent the virus from spreading widely, starting from Wednesday (5/2) to Saturday (25/2).

Novel coronavirus is a virus that spreads rapidly. In closed environments such as patient rooms, planes or cruise ships, transmission of the 2019-nCoV coded virus can become even faster. Then, what is the current condition of the Diamond Princess cruise ship passengers after the discovery of the case novel coronavirus ?

The appearance of the novel coronavirus on a cruise ship

Source: Pikrepo

The Diamond Princess cruise ship is planned to carry 3,711 passengers and crew to Japan, before finally being quarantined once it enters the country's waters. The quarantine began with the finding of an infected passenger novel coronavirus .

The first person to be confirmed is an 80 year old passenger originating from Hong Kong. The passenger had symptoms of infection novel coronavirus and showed positive results after undergoing the examination.

Japanese health authorities then ordered tests on nine other passengers on the cruise ship who were suspected of having symptoms of infection novel coronavirus . Thus, the number of passengers who underwent the initial test was ten.

COVID-19 Outbreak updates Country: IndonesiaData

1,024,298

Confirmed

831,330

Recovered

28,855

DeathDistribution Map

However, this measure was considered ineffective because the Japanese health authorities only examined passengers who showed symptoms. Other passengers who do not show any symptoms will not undergo the examination.

In fact, it is possible that other passengers on the cruise ship have been infected novel coronavirus without showing symptoms. Transmission may go undetected because of this novel coronavirus the same as viruses in general which have an incubation period.

The incubation period is the time between infection with germs and the appearance of the first symptoms. Based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the incubation period novel coronavirus the odds range from 2-14 days.

During the incubation period, cruise ship passengers are affected novel coronavirus could pass the infection to other people without knowing it. This was conveyed by the Chinese Minister of Health some time ago. He appealed to all parties to be more vigilant because this virus may be transmitted without symptoms.

Not long after the case appeared novel coronavirus on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, the Japanese Minister of Health, Katsunobu Kato, gave a further statement. Kato plans to deploy health authorities to carry out checks on all 3,711 people on board.

Follow up to control the spread novel coronavirus

Referring to Worldometer data, novel coronavirus until Tuesday (11/2) infected 43,104 people in 28 countries. Of these, 7,345 patients were in serious condition and 1,018 others died. Meanwhile, around 4,043 patients have been declared recovered.

Rates of infection and death from novel coronavirus steadily increasing since its first appearance in December 2019. Cases novel coronavirus what is now happening on the Diamond Princess cruise ship also adds to the number of infected people from Japan by 67 people and Hong Kong by one person.

In order to prevent further spread, the passengers who were confirmed were infected novel coronavirus dropped off on the coast in Yokohama. They were picked up by ambulance and taken to a hospital in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, for further treatment.

Meanwhile, the rest of the passengers and crew remain on the cruise ship to undergo a 14-day quarantine period. During quarantine, the ship provides logistical needs, telephone services and free internet for easy communication.

The biggest obstacle the ship has faced so far is meeting the medical needs of the more than 600 people on board. Most of the people who need these drugs are elderly.

Nearly half of the passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship are indeed seniors aged 70 years or over who are susceptible to infection novel coronavirus . In fact, one of the elderly on the ship is now in serious condition, as reported by NHK World Japan.

Indonesian citizen news and dissemination novel coronavirus

Regarding the presence of Indonesian citizens (WNI) on the Diamond Princess ship, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that there were 78 Indonesian citizens who also sailed on the ship. As of Tuesday (11/2), all Indonesian citizens were reported to be healthy and no one was infected novel coronavirus .

The Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in Tokyo also works with local authorities to establish communication with Indonesian citizens and monitor their conditions. While waiting for the latest news, Indonesian citizens on the Diamond Princess cruise ship also undergo quarantine until they are safe from novel coronavirus .

The quarantine should have been carried out until Wednesday (19/2). However, the latest news on Tuesday (18/2) stated that three Indonesian citizens who were crew members of the Diamond Princess cruise ship tested positive for the disease which is now known as COVID-19.

Two of the Indonesian citizens were taken to a hospital in Chiba City, Japan. Meanwhile, another Indonesian citizen was being taken to another unknown hospital.

Distribution data so far show that one COVID-19 patient can infect 3-4 healthy people. However, the condition of the cruise ships meant that the virus could spread more quickly.

In a closed environment such as a cruise ship, the spread of the virus can even reach tens of people because the distance of transmission is so close. Patients who spread the virus are called super-spreader , and this condition has occurred in a hospital in Wuhan.

The patient is thought to have been infectious novel coronavirus to more than 57 people. Without prevention, the number of people who have contracted the virus could have grown considerably higher. Preventive measures such as washing hands and limiting close contact with other people can prevent this from happening on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

Meanwhile, for those of you who are now on land, the best step that can be done at this time is to maintain personal hygiene so that the infection does not spread more widely. To do this, wash your hands regularly, use protective equipment in the form of a mask, and avoid close contact with people who show symptoms of respiratory problems.