Health Notes

Seven Canadians diagnosed with novel coronavirus on Diamond Princess cruiseship

There are now 61 confirmed cases on the vessel, which is docked in Yokohama, Japan

by Charlie Smith on February 7th, 2020 at 7:44 AM
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      There's more bad news for the cruiseship industry.

      Dozens more cases of novel coronavirus cases have been confirmed among passengers who travelled on the Diamond Princess cruiseship, which is being kept for 14 days at the Daikoku Pier in Yokohama, Japan.

      Canadians account for seven of the 61 cases so far.

      There were about 3,700 passengers and crew aboard the Princess Cruises vessel and those who are healthy are being kept in their rooms until February 19.

      While some Canadian passengers in rooms with windows have told media outlets that they're doing fine, one person in one of the inside rooms wasn't so happy.

      "We have no window," Toronto resident Lana Chan told CBC News. "They haven't let us out yet for fresh air. We have been cooped up in this little room for two-and-a-half days now."

      Another cruiseship, the MS Westerdam, is sitting off the southeast coast of Okinawa after being denied entry into Japan, Taiwan, Guam, and the Philippines. This was due to fears that people onboard might have the coronavirus.

      The ship's owner, Holland America Line, said over Twitter it's not in quarantine and there are no known cases of coronavirus onboard at this time.

      The MS Westerdam left Hong Kong on February 4.

      One of the passengers complained on Twitter that she's being charged $4 for a bottle of water. She wanted to know if she'll be reimbursed for lost vacation time, her car at the airport, or her pet care for 16 days.

      She also wanted to know if her lost wages will be paid if she's quarantined.

      Meanwhile, 176 Canadians have left Wuhan. The plane stopped in Vancouver last night before landing in Trenton, Ontario, where the passengers will be quarantined for 14 days at a Canadian Forces base.

      Today, China reported that there have been 636 deaths on the mainland from the novel coronavirus, which is believed to have originated in a Wuhan wet market where the pathogen crossed the species barrier from an animal to a human.

      Among those who died is Dr. Li Wenliang, a 34-year-old ophthalmologist. He was reprimanded early last month for "spreading rumours" after he tried to warn fellow physicians in late December to wear protecting clothing in response to new form of the flu.

      Li's death has provoked outrage over social media in China.

      Another person has died in a Hong Kong and another fatality was recorded in the Philippines.

      There have now been more than 31,000 confirmed cases of what's also known as 2019-nCOV, including four in British Columbia.

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