Another Cruise Ship Example

Aside from horror at our economic suicide, my early interest in the coronavirus epidemic was piqued by the data coming out of the Diamond Princess, and in particular that so many people didn’t get infected and there were so many asymptomatic cases, notwithstanding the strong skew toward older age among the passengers.  Another ship study reflects the same issues.   (Ship Study)   This was an Antarctic cruise (which I have taken, quite an experience) with 128 passengers and 95 crew members.  Although age data is not given, the passengers likely were quite a bit older than the general population and the crew younger.  Passengers and crew had been screened for symptoms prior to departure and there was daily temperature testing.   The voyage started out fine in mid-March, but a passenger came down with a fever 8 days into the cruise.  People were immediately isolated and other precautions taken and the cruise was terminated.  Three more people showed symptoms on each of days 10, 11 and 12.  On reaching port everyone was tested.  Out of 217 people on board at the time of testing, 128 were positive, or 59%.  Interestingly, there were 10 instances where of two passengers sharing a cabin, one tested positive and the other negative.  Some of this may be false negatives, but it is unlikely they all were.   Out of the persons who tested positive, 104 or 81% were asymptomatic.

So once again we see that even under conditions conducive to constant, heavy exposure to the virus, a large percent of people do not get infected and a of those who do, the vast majority are asymptomatic.  And again, this in a likely older population.  I continue to be astounded by our politicians, and many supposed public health experts, who are just ignoring obviously important data and research in making decisions.