Coronavirus (COVID-19) Respiratory illness - Effect on Travel

[Princess Fiona]

Thankyou. Has it been confirmed that the coronavirus was the cause of her death as it was only determined she had it post mortem I read somewhere and perhaps might have been treated differently if prior detection.

The mainstay of treatment is good supportive care. Not sure it would have changed anything diagnosed ante-mortem.

 

[p--and--t]

Thankyou. Has it been confirmed that the coronavirus was the cause of her death as it was only determined she had it post mortem I read somewhere and perhaps might have been treated differently if prior detection.

....and from another thread here, it seems she may have contracted it from her taxi-driver son in law how got it from carrying an infected tourist.

 

[trevella]

....and from another thread here, it seems she may have contracted it from her taxi-driver son in law how got it from carrying an infected tourist.

Ground zero for that breakout appears to have been a party boat staffed by someone who had been in contact with tourists.

 

[Tropic]

Read somewhere that the head of the CDC was quoted as saying it is likely the virus will become global and just another seasonal bug to be dealt with.

This was it I think

CDC director: Novel coronavirus 'is probably with us beyond this season, beyond this year'

As an outbreak of a novel coronavirus has swept through Hubei province, China, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been preparing for its worst case scenario -- a widespread outbreak of illnesses in the United States.

www.cnn.com

 

[Pushka]

Read somewhere that the head of the CDC was quoted as saying it is likely the virus will become global and just another seasonal bug to be dealt with.

This was it I think

CDC director: Novel coronavirus 'is probably with us beyond this season, beyond this year'

As an outbreak of a novel coronavirus has swept through Hubei province, China, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been preparing for its worst case scenario -- a widespread outbreak of illnesses in the United States.

www.cnn.com

We were discussing this an hour or so ago with travel plans of Europe ahead. And were wondering if it will be just like the traditional flu, which obviously mutates or varies each year, and from which many might suffer, some may die, and others experience nothing. And at which point do countries simply throw all their borders open?

 

[moa999]

Question marks for me around certain countries and whether the full story is being reported -

Japan. Very limited testing capability (haven't even tested everyone on the ship) and have already had ship to ground transfer via a doctor. Obviously concerned about Olympics.

Vietnam. Despite limited cases has quarantined a region of 10,000 people between Hanoi and China border. Hanoi has F1 race in April.

Indonesa. No cases detected despite a lot of Chinese tourism.

--

Saw an insta post from a friend in HK yesterday. In a few metro carriages almost everyone was masked.

 

[dajop]

From Singapore, we are up to 72 cases, with 1697 close contacts of those cases traced and in isolation (and still trying to contact another 262 close contacts).

One more case discharged; five new cases of COVID-19 infection confirmed

www.moh.gov.sg

In terms of on the ground:
- Not as many people wearing masks as there was initially, following strong campaign to focus on hand washing and wear masks if sick.
- Anecdotally, I'd suggest restaurants and hawker stalls, at least in my area, still very busy, but I'd say down a little (walked past a hugely popular dim sum restaurant which spans 5 shopfronts, and it was packed as usual on Saturday night, but no people waiting for tables).
- Lots of businesses allowing people to work from home if possible (we have been on enforced work from home for three days, since case confirmed in adjacent building - that we share a lobby with).
- Chinatown seems a bit quieter
- Catholic church has suspended public masses indefinitely (noting two of the "clusters" are linked to churches - with 16 and 5 cases respectively)
- Other than that, by and large people going about business as usual.

Planning to fly down to Melbourne on Friday, hopefully things won't change so much between now and then and I'll be allowed in without having to be quarantined

 

[dajop]

Indonesa. No cases detected despite a lot of Chinese tourism.

In my previous role I used to work very closely with a doctor who consulted to us (scope being Asia Pac). We had an interest in information about poisoning. Indonesia was the most difficult to get any information out of, and instigate any training programs with, basically it was hospital to hospital, no centralised connection of information etc. One would hope that they are better connected as it relates to disease control, but when I had dinner with him the other night, we both were very sceptical that there were no cases in Indonesia. Not suggesting any disinformation, but just that is a huge archipelago, not very well centralised/connected and cases probably not identified.

 

[PineappleSkip]

Just looking at QF flights from AUS to/from HKG, and it looks like they have cut flights starting from the end of Feb through to the end of March. Instead of daily the frequency from BNE each way appears to be four a week, Mo-We-FrSa-, and from Melbourne five a week on -Tu-ThFrSaSu. There are minor variations, and flights from SYD still appear to be 2x daily. Haven’t seen any announcement about this, so don’t know if the scissors have been put away yet.

cheers skip

 

[Pushka]

In my previous role I used to work very closely with a doctor who consulted to us (scope being Asia Pac). We had an interest in information about poisoning. Indonesia was the most difficult to get any information out of, and instigate any training programs with, basically it was hospital to hospital, no centralised connection of information etc. One would hope that they are better connected as it relates to disease control, but when I had dinner with him the other night, we both were very sceptical that there were no cases in Indonesia. Not suggesting any disinformation, but just that is a huge archipelago, not very well centralised/connected and cases probably not identified.

With social media platforms freely available in Indonesia, if that was the case and there were many people poorly stricken, I think it would be all over the relevant feeds.

 

[moa999]

Haven’t seen any announcement about this, so don’t know if the scissors have been put away yet.

When Qantas first class is the best business class...

Savvy business class travellers to Hong Kong can snare the original Qantas superjumbo suite.

www.executivetraveller.com

 

[PineappleSkip]

Since they doctored their number counting system, China’s consecutive daily new case numbers reported were 6,500, then 2,200, today 200. Just not credible at all. Something is very wrong with this reporting.

cheers skip

 

[trevella]

Since they doctored their number counting system, China’s consecutive daily new case numbers reported were 6,500, then 2,200, today 200. Just not credible at all. Something is very wrong with this reporting.

cheers skip

Today was 2,009.

 

[p--and--t]

Since they doctored their number counting system, China’s consecutive daily new case numbers reported were 6,500, then 2,200, today 200. Just not credible at all. Something is very wrong with this reporting.

cheers skip

From observation only, I have determined the following. There are many sites reporting the stats. Allegedly they all come from the same sources (but in dribs and drabs). The stats are updated infrequently by the various sites reporting the numbers. Usually once or twice per day max each, and they are out of sync depending on which time zone the updater is located and their diligence. I have seen some typos once or twice. You can't just check at the same time every day as updating time varies. Today's increase was around the 2K mark for China alone.

 

[tgh]

All this reliance on dodgy reporting is very discouraging.. and there is o we can do about it….

 

[p--and--t]

All this reliance on dodgy reporting is very discouraging.. and there is o we can do about it….

I look at the following three sites. Two of them actually give you the date and time they were updated, the third doesn't but seems to be updated once per day.

Coronavirus Update (Live): 131,307,090 Cases and 2,857,945 Deaths from COVID-19 Virus Pandemic - Worldometer

Live statistics and coronavirus news tracking the number of confirmed cases, recovered patients, tests, and death toll due to the COVID-19 coronavirus from Wuhan, China. Coronavirus counter with new cases, deaths, and number of tests per 1 Million population. Historical data and info. Daily...

www.worldometers.info

Live data of CoronaVirus

ArcGIS Dashboards

ArcGIS Dashboards

gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com

 

[amaroo]

I've canned a couple of trips to Singapore - all leisure.

I would definitely cancel any trip to Indo / Thailand / Hong Kong / etc / etc / etc for the foreseeable future - YMMV

 

[moa999]

as the virus should 'peter out' in the northern summer.

Doesn't explain why continuously summery Singapore is the second highest to China.

Air Con in buildings (seemingly at least two churches and a conference centre) and the virus survives.

 

[RooFlyer]

Doesn't explain why continuously summery Singapore is the second highest to China.

Air Con in buildings (seemingly at least two churches and a conference centre) and the virus survives.

I agree, but in general viruses do lose their potency in warmer months. I think SARS did and the'ordinary' corona virus dies, every year. This one may have better survivability...

 

[Pushka]

Doesn't explain why continuously summery Singapore is the second highest to China.

Air Con in buildings (seemingly at least two churches and a conference centre) and the virus survives.

I’d read somewhere that the virus likes humidity as well.