The Holland America cruise ship Westerdam sailed aimlessly from port to port after Covid-19 struck other ocean liners. Philippines, Japan and Guam all denied her entry despite there being no evidence of the coronavirus strain on board. Thailand almost admitted her, but Cambodia finally allowed the guests to disembark at Sihanoukville. However it was only a few hours before authorities discovered the coronavirus had escaped with two passengers.
The Coronavirus Has Escaped Despite Standard Checks
The Covid-19 coronavirus associates with elevated body temperature and fever. The Westerdam passengers were all examined twice, and declared healthy. An 83-year-old U.S. man flew to Malaysia for medical assistance. A thermal scanner detected a problem at Kuala Lumpur airport and the man later tested positive for the virus infection.
In the horror of hindsight, it may have been optimistic to believe every one of the over 1,000 passengers was clear. We now know the coronavirus has escaped despite best intentions. We don’t know if there are infections hiding on other passengers heading for destinations on three continents.
This Could Be the Turning Point According to Experts
I did not expect anything of this magnitude, Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center told The New York Times. We now know it will even harder to contain the epidemic in China. This could be the turning point, he added.
We understand the correct approach is to trace all the passengers and quarantine them for two weeks. However, this is a daunting process with them so widely dispersed. Moreover, we cannot rule out the possibility of secondary infections either. There were 140 passengers on the aircraft that flew to Kuala Lumpur.
Thankfully, only the 83-year-old man and his wife tested positive although that’s of little comfort to them and their loved ones. Our hearts reach out to a couple who just wanted to celebrate their love and their lives together.
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Preview Image: Sihanoukville Autonomous Port
