Coronavirus
Technology Solutions
WHO Says Masks
Necessary Due to
Delta Variant
What the Delta
Variant Could
Mean for
Covid-19 in the
United States
Is the Delta
Plus Variant
More Infectious,
Deadly or
Vaccine-Resistant?
Delta Plus
Variant in
Eleven Countries
U.S. Mask
Production
Declines
Precipitously
Royal Caribbean
Cruise Ship Sets
Sail With
Hospital Quality
Ventilation
___________________________________________________________________________
WHO Says Masks
Necessary Due to
Delta Variant
World Health
Organization
(WHO) officials
stressed Friday
the need for
fully vaccinated
people to
“continue to be
appropriately
cautious” and
keep up with
social
distancing
measures like
mask wearing as
the highly
infectious Delta
variant of the
coronavirus
becomes
increasingly
dominant in the
U.S. and spurs
new Covid-19
surges around
the
world—including
in highly
vaccinated
countries. The Delta variant, which was first identified in India and is more infectious than previous coronavirus strains, is now responsible for approximately 10% of coronavirus infections in the U.S. as of June 5 and has caused new Covid-19 outbreaks in such countries as the United Kingdom, Australia and Israel. The variant’s spread means people should follow public health measures like mask wearing, frequent sanitizing and social distancing “with much more care,” Dr. Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s World Emergencies Programme, said at a press briefing Friday, saying the Delta strain should make the world “more cautious, more diligent, and more dedicated to” following those protocols.
WHO senior
advisor Dr.
Bruce Aylward
said fully
vaccinated
people should
“play it safe,”
noting people
can “end up as
part of a
transmission
chain” even if
they’ve received
both shots.
Dr. Maria Van
Kerkhove, the
WHO technical
lead on
Covid-19, said
while vaccines
are “incredibly
effective at
preventing
severe disease
and death”
including
against the
Delta variant,
the strain is a
“dangerous
variant” and
large events
taking place as
the variant
spreads “will
have
consequences.”
Using masks
consistently”
and following
other social
distancing
measures like
avoiding crowds,
hand washing and
being in
well-ventilated
spaces is
“extremely
important, even
if you’re
vaccinated,” Dr.
Mariangela Simao,
WHO assistant
director-general
for access to
medicines and
health products,
said, warning,
“Vaccine alone
won’t stop the
community
transmission.”
“The first
message that we
want to be
careful about is
saying once
you’re
vaccinated, you
can go ahead and
do whatever.
Yes, you can
reduce some
measures...but
there’s still
the need for
caution,”
Aylward said
Friday. “We’re
still in a world
with a lot of
people who are
not protected.”
Covid-19
vaccines are
considered to be
largely
protective
against the
Delta variant,
with recent studies finding
the Pfizer
vaccine is
approximately
90% effective
against the new
strain. Only
receiving one
dose of the
vaccine provides
far less
protection
against the
variant,
however—one
Pfizer dose is
only
approximately
36% effective
against
symptomatic
disease, Public
Health
England reported—and breakthrough
infections are
possible
but rare.
The rise of new
and more
dangerous
variants has
provoked fears
the virus
will continue to
mutate and could
evolve to evade
vaccines,
particularly as
much of the
world remains
unvaccinated.
While right now
measures like
vaccines, social
distancing and
mask wearing
have been proven
to work against
Covid-19, Van
Kerkhove said
Friday, “there
may be a time
when this virus
evolves, and
these
countermeasures
don’t.”
The Centers for
Disease Control
and Prevention
has not yet
responded to a
request for
comment on the
WHO officials’
warning Friday
and whether the
agency will
reconsider
guidance saying
fully vaccinated
Americans do not
have to wear
masks in light
of the Delta
variant’s
spread. The
Delta strain is
right
now estimated to
double in
prevalence
approximately
every two weeks
in the U.S., and
it is expected
to ultimately
become the
country’s dominant
strain.
Dr. Anthony
Fauci
has warned the
variant poses
the “greatest
threat” to the
U.S.’s effort to
eradicate
Covid-19, and
officials have
particularly
warned about
surges in areas
where the
vaccination
rate remains
low, such as
Southern states
like Mississippi
and Alabama.
Variant is
Causing COVID
Surges in
Countries With
High Vaccination
Rates
Many of the
countries that
have faced
the largest
Covid-19
surges in recent
months are also
those with among
the highest
vaccination
rates in the
world—such as
Uruguay,
Bahrain, the
Maldives and the
Seychelles—a
trend that’s
been partially
attributed to
countries
relaxing their
restrictions too
quickly. The
latest highly
vaccinated
country to face
a new surge
is Israel, which
is reimposing
their indoor
mask mandate
amid a new rise
in cases linked
to the Delta
variant.
Approximately half of
the country’s
new infections
appear to be in
people who are
fully vaccinated
with the Pfizer/BioNTech
vaccine.
Infectious
disease experts
are weighing the
need for booster
shots of the
Pfizer/BioNTech (PFE.N),
or Moderna (MRNA.O) mRNA-based
vaccines for
Americans who
received Johnson
&
Johnson's (JNJ.N) one-dose
vaccine due to
the increasing
prevalence of
the more
contagious Delta
coronavirus
variant.
A few say they
have already
done so
themselves, even
without
published data
on whether
combining two
different
vaccines is safe
and effective or
backing from
U.S. health
regulators.
Canada and some
European
countries are
already allowing
people to get
two different
COVID-19 shots.
The debate
centers on
concerns over
how protective
the J&J shot is
against the
Delta variant
first detected
in India and now
circulating
widely in many
countries.
Delta, which has
also been
associated with
more severe
disease, could
quickly become
the dominant
version of the
virus in the
United States,
Centers for
Disease Control
and Prevention
(CDC) Director
Rochelle
Walensky has
warned.
A double dose of
COVID-19
vaccines is
almost as
effective
against the
fast-spreading
variant of the
coronavirus
first identified
in India as it
is against
Britain’s
dominant strain,
English health
officials said.
A study by
Public Health
England found
the Pfizer-BioNTech
vaccine was 88%
effective
against
symptomatic
disease from the
B.1.617.2
variant two
weeks after the
second dose.
That compared
with 93%
effectiveness
against the
B.1.1.7 "Kent"
strain which is
Britain's
dominant COVID
variant.
Two doses of the
AstraZeneca
vaccine were 60%
effective
against
symptomatic
disease from the
Indian variant
compared with
66%
effectiveness
against the Kent
variant, PHE
said.
Delta Plus is a
New Variant with
Uncertain Impact
A new and
slightly changed
version of
the Delta
coronavirus
variant is
spreading in a
number of
countries
including the
United Kingdom,
United States
and India,
health officials
say.
This strain,
which has
generated a
significant
amount of global
media attention,
is called
B.1.617.2.1 or
AY.1 -- Delta
Plus for short
and is a version
of the Delta
variant first
detected in
India in
February.
It was first
reported by
Public Health
England, a
government
health
agency, on June
11. But the UK's
first few cases
had been
sequenced on
April 26 --
suggesting the
variant may have
been present and
spreading by the
spring.
The Indian
government said
it has submitted
the variant to
the Global Data
System and sent
samples for
genomic testing.
About 200 cases
have been
spotted in 11
countries. Only
one death has
been reported so
far, in India.
Health experts
are
investigating
whether Delta
Plus may be more
transmissible
than other
strains like the
Alpha or Delta
variants -- but
it's too early
to say for sure
what its effects
may be.
All variants
carry clusters
of mutations.
Delta Plus has
an extra
mutation called
K417N, which
distinguishes it
from the regular
Delta variant.
This mutation
affects the
spike protein,
the part of the
virus that
attaches to the
cells it
infects.
The K417N
mutation isn't
entirely new --
it has "arisen
independently in
several viral
lineages,"
said Francois
Balloux,
director of the
University
College London
(UCL) Genetics
Institute.
The mutation was
seen in a strain
found in Qatar
in March 2020,
and is also
found in the
Beta variant,
which was first
detected in
South Africa
last fall, he
told the Science
Media Centre on
Wednesday.
What the Delta
Variant Could
Mean for
Covid-19 in the
United States
"The mutation
may contribute
to immune
escape, though
its impact on
transmissibility
is not
clear-cut," said
Francois Balloux,
director of the
University
College London
(UCL) Genetics
Institute.
All viruses
mutate
constantly. Some
of those changes
make viruses
better at
infecting cells,
or better at
replicating,
while others
have little
effect or are
even harmful to
the virus.
To date, there
have been about
160 strains of
the coronavirus
sequenced
globally, said
Balloux.
There are also
"other Delta
plus variants
with other
mutations," said
the Indian
government on
Wednesday,
adding that AY.1
was just the
most well-known.
Maria Van
Kerkhove, the
World Health
Organization's
technical lead
on Covid-19,
added that the
team was
"looking at
these specific
mutations and
what these mean
in terms of
transmission, in
terms of
severity, and
really
importantly what
these means in
terms of our
medical
countermeasures."
Meanwhile, the
regular Delta
variant, also
known as the
B.1.617.2
strain, has
spread rapidly.
It has been
reported in
dozens of
countries and is
40% to 60% more
transmissible
than the Alpha
variant first
identified in
England, said
the European
Centre for
Disease
Prevention and
Control (ECDC).
"I know that
globally there
is currently a
lot of concern
about the Delta
variant, and the
WHO is concerned
about it too,"
said Tedros
Adhanom
Ghebreyesus,
director general
of the World
Health
Organization, on
Friday. "Delta
is the most
transmissible of
the variants
identified so
far."
Is the Delta
Plus Variant
More Infectious,
Deadly or
Vaccine-Resistant?
According to the
Indian
government's
Covid-19 genome
sequencing body,
the Delta Plus
variant exhibits
several worrying
traits such as
increased
transmissibility,
stronger binding
to receptors of
lung cells, and
a potential
reduction in
antibody
response.
It's not yet
clear what
effect the
mutation may
have on vaccine
efficacy -- but
Julian Tang,
professor of
respiratory
sciences at the
University of
Leicester, warned it
could
potentially give
the variant
"significant
vaccine escape
properties."
Most of the
coronavirus
vaccines are
designed to
train the body
to recognize the
spike protein,
or parts of it
-- the place
where Delta
Plus' extra
mutation is.
However, there
isn't enough
evidence to
determine
anything
conclusively yet
and other
experts have
expressed caution.
On Wednesday,
the Indian
government said
the mutation's
role in "immune
escape, disease
severity or
increased
transmissibility
etc. is under
continued
surveillance."
"This virus has
also been
isolated and
cultured," said
Balram Bhargava,
Director General
of the Indian
Council of
Medical
Research, on
Friday. "We
should have the
results in seven
to ten days on
whether the
vaccines are
working against
Delta Plus."
For now, experts
are largely
cautioning the
public and
governments to
remain watchful
but calm.
Besides the Beta
variant, none of
the other
strains carrying
the K417N
mutation "have
been
particularly
successful so
far," said
Balloux. "It has
been found in
several
countries but
has remained at
extremely low
frequency ...
There is no
evidence the
strain is
currently
expanding in any
country."
Van Kerkhove
from WHO said
the organization
was tracking
Delta Plus to
determine its
transmissibility
and severity.
Delta Plus
Variant in
Eleven Countries
So far, Delta
Plus has been
reported in 11
countries -- but
the number of
cases per
country only
reflects samples
that have been
sequenced, and
more data is
needed to
determine the
actual rate of
spread.
"As far as I am
aware, the speed
of spread of a
variant cannot
be measured by
the early spread
frequency," said
T. Jacob John,
head of clinical
virology at
India's
Christian
Medical College.
"There is no
information that
Delta Plus is
infecting people
who were
infected in the
first wave,
immunized people
or those
infected in the
second wave. The
spread has to be
watched to know
more."
The US has
sequenced and
confirmed the
highest number
of cases so far,
with 83 cases as
of June 16,
according to Public
Health England.
India follows
with 48 cases,
the government
said on Friday.
One patient, an
80-year-old
female with
pre-existing
conditions, has
died, said
Rajesh Tope,
health minister
of Maharashtra
state, on
Friday.
The cases began
in three states
-- which were
all placed on
alert -- but
have since
spread to a
total of eight
states. The
central
government is
urging states
with cases to
"enhance their
public health
response" by
stepping up
testing,
tracing, and
priority
vaccination.
India is still
recovering from
its devastating
second wave,
which has
infected
millions and
killed hundreds
of thousands in
the past few
months. It's not
clear whether
Delta Plus will
deliver another
blow -- John
said it was
unlikely, as the
country's
vaccination rate
picks up -- but
the trauma of
the second wave
has authorities
on high alert.
"Once bitten,
twice shy," John
said. "Those who
did not predict
the second wave
do not want to
be caught a
second time, so
they are
alerting
everyone of a
possible third
wave."
The UK has
reported 41
cases as of June
16. Enhanced
contact tracing,
testing, and
isolation has
been deployed in
areas where
Delta Plus has
been reported,
Downing Street
confirmed on
Thursday.
The first few
cases sequenced
in the UK were
contacts of
individuals who
had traveled
from or
transited
through Nepal
and Turkey,
according to
Public Health
England.
The rest of the
cases are spread
out between
Canada, India,
Japan, Nepal,
Poland,
Portugal,
Russia,
Switzerland, and
Turkey.
U.S. Mask
Production
Declines
Precipitously
A year after
several American
businesses
sprang up to
manufacture
much-needed
masks and N95
respirators
within U.S.
borders, many of
those businesses
are now on the
brink of
financial
collapse,
shutting down
production and
laying off
workers.
The nationwide
vaccination
campaign,
combined with an
influx of
cheaper,
Chinese-made
masks and N95
respirators, has
dramatically cut
into the
companies' sales
and undermined
their prices.
And while some
call it a normal
consequence of a
free market, a
few business
owners say they
feel abandoned
by the same
government that
relied on them
to help save
American lives
during the
COVID-19
pandemic.
"This is not
only a matter of
national
security but of
national pride,"
a group of them
wrote last month
in a letter to
President Biden
asking for
government help. Last year, dozens of companies like Armbrust American answered the nation's call for more domestic production of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Using its own
resources and
without
government
assistance,
Armbrust
purchased a
facility near
Austin, Texas,
bought
machinery, hired
over a hundred
workers, applied
for a
complicated and
lengthy
certification
and started
manufacturing.
We started at
the height of
the pandemic
really, in
April, and very,
very quickly, in
about six
months, we were
able to scale up
to producing
about a million
masks per day.
And today we
produce both
surgical and
N95-style
masks," said
Lloyd Armbrust,
the founder and
CEO.
Business was
doing well,
until the mass
vaccination
effort
dramatically
reduced demand
for masks. Now,
Armbrust
predicts he can
keep going for
another four
months at most,
before
completely
shuttering the
plant. "We are
down to a
skeleton crew on
the alternate
shifts and just
barely a full
crew on the main
shift," he said.
At the beginning
of this year,
Armbrust and 27
other
small-business
mask
manufacturers
formed the
American Mask
Manufacturer's
Association
(AMMA).
"Let me put this
in perspective:
We have 28
members who are
going to go out
of business in
the next 60 to
90 days, and
when they go out
of business,
it's not like we
turn off the
lights and
mothball these
machines. We
send them to the
dump. That
capacity that we
created goes
away," Armbrust
said. Already
five of the AMMA
members have
stopped
production, he
said.
These recent
entrants into
the
mask-manufacturing
industry are not
the only
companies
cutting back on
production,
laying off
workers and
fighting for a
share of a
market long
dominated by
foreign-made
products.
Before the
pandemic began,
about 10
American
companies were
actively making
N95 respirators,
according to
Anne Miller,
executive
director of the
nonprofit ProjectN95,
a national
clearinghouse
for PPE founded
in 2020. Larger
companies such
as Honeywell and
3M also
manufactured
N95s in
factories
abroad. All
told, fewer than
10% of the N95
respirators used
in the U.S. were
manufactured
domestically,
according to
industry
experts.
In early 2020,
China, the
world's largest
manufacturer of
masks, was also
fighting the
pandemic and
nationalized its
manufacturing.
The U.S. market,
which depended
mostly on masks
from China, was
essentially cut
out.
"China,
realizing that
they have a
crisis on their
hands,
restricted the
export of all
masks to the
United States,"
said Robert
Handfield, a
professor of
supply chain
management at
North Carolina
State
University. So,
while those
companies were
still producing,
he says, they
were forbidden
by the Chinese
government from
shipping the
masks to the
United States.
To add to the
problem, even
U.S. companies
such as
Honeywell and
3M, which
manufactured
predominantly
abroad, faced
restrictions.
"3M was unable
to get shipments
from its own
factories in
China back to
the United
States because
the exports were
being prevented
by the Chinese
government from
leaving the
country,"
Handfield said.
The inability to
get masks from
abroad led to
shortages
domestically
that put the
U.S. in a
precarious
position.
The dependency
on China and
other foreign
countries was
nothing new,
recalled Mike
Bowen, executive
vice president
of Prestige
Ameritech, one
of the oldest
domestic
manufacturers of
masks in the
United States.
In 2009, during
the H1N1
pandemic,
Prestige
Ameritech
stepped up
production to
meet the growing
domestic need.
Before the
pandemic, larger
companies such
as Honeywell and
3M manufactured
N95 respirators
in factories
abroad. All
told, fewer than
10% of the N95
respirators used
in the U.S. were
manufactured
domestically,
according to
industry
experts.
"Last time we
were stupid,"
Bowen said. "We
believed
everyone when
they said they
would stay with
us. ... We're
buying a
factory, we're
building more
machines, we're
hiring people,
but you got to
stay with us.
And everybody
said they would,
but they
didn't."
As soon as the
health scare was
over, the market
dried up. The
aftermath was
harsh — laid-off
workers,
financial losses
— but he
survived.
This time, Bowen
tried to be more
careful.
"It's like
people want to
have their cake
and eat it too.
They want to
have the
cheapest prices
— they want
China prices —
but then they
want American
manufacturers to
bail them out
when they can't
get their
Chinese
products. That
doesn't work,"
Bowen said. For
comparison, one
N95 respirator
costs about 25
cents to
manufacture in
China. Producing
the same product
in the U.S. can
cost more than
double.
When the
COVID-19
pandemic began,
Bowen's company
was slammed with
new orders. His
facility uses
primarily
domestically
sourced raw
materials, so he
stepped up
again. He ramped
up production to
meet the growing
demand, adding
more machines
and increasing
his labor force
more than
threefold.
Now, much
cheaper masks
from abroad have
reentered the
market yet
again, as China
has lifted
export
embargoes,
competing
directly against
masks made in
America. Bowen
has six machines
sitting idle in
his factory.
"They want to
have the
cheapest prices
— they want
China prices —
but then they
want American
manufacturers to
bail them out
when they can't
get their
Chinese
products. That
doesn't work,"
Mike Bowen,
executive vice
president of
Prestige
Ameritech, told
NPR.
Susanne Gerson
is the executive
vice president
of the Louis M.
Gerson Co. in
Middleboro,
Mass. Much like
Bowen, Gerson
has been in the
business for
years. "We've
been in business
for
approximately 60
years, and we've
been making N95
respirators
since about
1985. So we're a
very experienced
respiratory
manufacturer,"
she said.
When the
pandemic
started, Gerson
said she started
receiving calls
personally from
doctors in
Massachusetts.
"I actually had
people crying
when I would
talk to them on
the phone that
they didn't know
what to do —
women doctors
who were
pregnant and
they weren't
being provided
any protection,"
she said.
The company made
a decision to
reconfigure its
business from
making masks for
industrial
workers to
making masks for
health care
workers,
doubling the
workforce on the
floor and
modifying the
facility.
"I think people
outside of
manufacturing
don't understand
what it takes to
produce a
product where
we're the most
critical part of
this whole
process and yet
we're the most
ignored," she
said.
"We have not had
to lay off
people, but if
things don't
clear up in the
pipeline and we
don't get some
of this
confusion
addressed, we
don't know
what's going to
happen," she
added.
Gerson, like
Bowen and
others, is
calling on the
Biden
administration
to stop the
influx of
Chinese
products.
"We ramped up
our capacity to
such a level
based on what we
thought were
commitments from
new customers
and people
saying, 'No,
we're going to
need product,'
and being told
this by the
government and
by everyone. And
then it's just
like, poof,
they're not
sure," she said.
Gerson is also
calling for more
clarity around
the emergency
use
authorization
that allowed for
the reuse of
masks, a
response to
severe shortages
that no longer
exist.
"We are required
to put that on
our packaging by
the FDA when we
make a
respirator —
that it's a
single-use
product. And yet
my understanding
is they are
still being used
... oftentimes I
think what the
hospital is
doing is they're
putting the
other mask over
the N95 as a way
of trying to
keep it clean.
But it wasn't
designed like
that," she said.
Larger
manufacturers
have faced
consequences
from the
shifting market
as well.
Honeywell recently
announced that
it is shutting
down production
of N95
respirators at
two facilities,
in Smithfield,
R.I., and
Phoenix, laying
off more than
1,000 workers.
But the company
says it has made
permanent
changes to its
structure that
would allow for
a faster ramp-up
next time there
is a need.
"While we have
closed some of
our manual
operations
efforts at two
facilities, we
are maintaining
the automated
lines to
continue to
fulfill orders
and can ramp
back up as
needed," said
Honeywell
company
spokesperson
Eric Krantz.
The
foreign-dependence
vulnerability is
something both
the White House
and members of
Congress are
well aware of.
Rep. Anna Eshoo
has represented
California's
18th
Congressional
District, near
San Jose, for
nearly three
decades. She
also chairs the
Energy and
Commerce
Committee's
Subcommittee on
Health.
"Shame on us
that we found
ourselves in the
position that we
were in,
especially at
the height of
the pandemic and
the risk that
our health care
workers had to
take and did
take," said
Eshoo, a
Democrat who has
often spoken
against foreign
dependence on
commodities,
such as PPE and
pharmaceuticals,
and lack of
domestic
manufacturing.
"This is a
warped picture
of America," she
said. "We can do
so much better."
The White House
says it is
working on a
strategy for a
more resilient
pandemic supply
chain. And
recent
legislation
signed by the
president
included $10
billion for
investments in
additional
manufacturing
capacity,
extended
contracts for
PPE and more.
Armbrust, like
other members of
the AMMA, said
he knew he took
a risk.
"I made a stupid
decision,
because I'm an
entrepreneur and
I cared about
our country and
bringing this
strategic
manufacturing
back," he said.
"A bunch of
people made bad
decisions
personally to do
something that
was right at the
time, and that
to me is the
American
spirit."
Royal Caribbean
Cruise Ship Sets
Sail With
Hospital Quality
Ventilation
Cruise ships are
now back in
business but the
safety
validation which
claims hospital
quality
ventilation is
not reassuring.
Hospital
ventilation
quality varies
considerably
from facility to
facility and
from area to
area.
The Celebrity
Edge. cruise
ship, owned by
the Royal
Caribbean Group,
became the first
to sail from a
U.S. port since
the US Centers
for Disease
Control and
Prevention
brought the
industry to a
halt more than
15 months ago
For this
start-up period,
we're sailing
with a reduced
capacity to give
us all a chance
to get used to
the protocols
and to really
allow for
natural social
distancing,"
said Susan Lomax,
head of global
public relations
at Celebrity
Cruises. She
said the cruise
line does not
plan to exceed
50% capacity on
any of its trips
this summer.
Because of the
reduced
capacity, cabin
occupancy will
be spaced out
and people will
be put into
cabins with
windows that
face outward.
Crew members
will get their
own cabins.
Lomax said
filtration
experts from the
University of
Nebraska were
asked to
evaluate the
ventilation/HVAC
system and
pronounced it
"better than
what hospitals
have."
Linsey Marr, an
environmental
engineer and
professor at
Virginia Tech,
agrees the
Edge's
ventilation
system is more
than adequate.
"The combination
of high air
change rates and
high-quality
filters ... will
greatly reduce
the amount of
virus that can
build up in the
air. Thus, it is
unlikely that
people will be
exposed to
elevated levels
of virus in
cabins and
public indoor
spaces," she
told CNN. "If
this is the
case, then the
biggest risk
comes from being
in close
proximity,
within the
exhaled
respiratory
plume of an
infected
individual."
Yuguo Li, from
the department
of mechanical
engineering at
The University
of Hong Kong,
sides with Marr.
"Taking all
evidence so far,
I highly believe
that SARS-CoV-2
is predominantly
transmitted by
the short-range
inhalation route
in inadequately
ventilated
spaces. We have
studied about 20
outbreaks of
SARS-CoV-2, and
performed
ventilation
measurement for
10 of them, all
supporting this
hypothesis," Li
wrote in an
email. His study on
the Diamond
Princess was
published online
in April in the
journal
Building and
Environment
and
his editorial
appeared in the
journal
Indoor Air
in mid-May.
"For the Diamond
Princess
outbreak, we
showed that
their cabin
ventilation
might be
sufficient, and
suspect that
infections
occurred in the
public areas.
There are two
major factors in
these public
areas: First, in
gyms and dancing
floors, people
perform high
[energy]
activities with
more droplet
release and
higher
inhalation flow,
hence infection
risks are high
... Second, if
occupancy is not
controlled in
these public
spaces, the
ventilation per
person can be
even lower. In
some spaces such
as restaurants,
people cannot
wear masks," he
explained.
On the Edge,
other procedural
changes include
staggered
arrival and
departure times
to prevent large
crowds, and a
muster drill --
the mandatory
safety exercise
done at the
start of every
trip -- done
virtually
instead of in
person, again to
avoid large
crowds. And food
lovers need not
fear: the
all-you-can-eat
buffets will
still be a
staple of the
dining
experience, but
instead of
self-serve, crew
members will
lend a hand.
In
the unfortunate
event of an
outbreak, the
Edge has the
capacity to
manage 33
patients, and
there are four
ICU beds. The
entire medical
area is on a
separate
ventilation
system.
Contact tracing
plans that make
use of the
ship's CCTV have
been drawn up,
there are
protocols for
isolation and
quarantining,
and disinfection
procedures
following
positive cases.
Importantly,
Royal Caribbean
has agreements
with a number of
countries to act
as
disembarkation
ports, should
there be a need
to get people
off the ship.
"There's no
longer any 'Oh
my gosh, we're
sailing for days
and no one will
take us,' " said
Lomax. "There's
no reason to
wait
till the end of
the cruise; we
have the ability
to go to those
disembarkation
ports if and as
needed."
But everyone,
from those in
the cruise
industry to
health experts,
says the real
game changers
are vaccines,
which offer up
to 95%
protection
against
symptomatic
Covid-19. Even
if there are
breakthrough
infections,
vaccines reduce
the amount of
virus in the
body, making
people less
infectious to
others.
"It's really the
vaccines that
have enabled us
to return to
cruising with a
low enough level
of risk of
transmission,"
said Marr.
On the Edge,
100% of the crew
and at least 95%
of passengers
are vaccinated,
which
considerably
lowers the risk
of people
getting infected
and sparking an
outbreak.
However
effective
vaccines are,
it's unclear
whether, when
and where they
can be mandated
on future
cruises. The CDC
currently
advises
unvaccinated
people against
going on a
cruise -- but
that's just
guidance.
Additionally,
Florida is one
of several
states that has
banned
businesses from
requiring
customers to
provide proof of
vaccination,
although
upcoming cruises
leaving from
ports in
Washington state
and Alaska are
expected to have
vaccination
requirements.
And to top it
off, a federal
district judge
in Tampa
recently
concluded the
CDC's
restrictions on
the cruise
industry are
likely
unconstitutional
and the agency
is overstepping
its legal
authority. So,
starting July
18, the agency
will no longer
be able to
enforce its
sailing rules,
including
requirements
that either 95%
of passengers be
vaccinated or
that the ship
successfully
conduct a
simulated
voyage. The
judge gave the
CDC until July 2
to propose more
modest
guidelines.
A judge ruled
that Florida
would be harmed
by the CDC
stopping most
cruise ships
from sailing
In navigating
these murky,
fluctuating
rules, Lomax
said that the
Edge capped at
5% the number of
cabins for
people who
choose not to
disclose their
vaccination
status. They are
counted as
unvaccinated.
People presumed
to be
unvaccinated
will have to
wear masks in
public areas and
will also have
to undergo
additional
Covid-19 testing
-- both to board
and midway
through the
cruise -- at
their own
expense.
Everybody has to
be tested before
disembarking in
the United
States.
"With 95% of
passengers
vaccinated,
that's far more
than we have in
any country. And
we know that the
higher
vaccination
rates have
really brought
down cases. So I
think it's
probably
reasonable for
healthy
vaccinated
people to go on
a cruise," said
Marr. "The risk
of an outbreak
on a cruise
ship, together
with the
measures that
they're taking
requiring
unvaccinated
people to wear
masks, the
overall risk of
an outbreak
should be quite
low. And I'd be
surprised if we
saw something
like the Diamond
Princess again."
But, despite all
the precautions,
the experience
is still not
guaranteed to be
100% coronavirus-free,
if the Celebrity
Millennium is
any example.
That ship,
carrying the
first North
American paying
passengers, set
sail in early
June out of St.
Maarten, and
made several
ports of call.
The crew were
all fully
vaccinated as
were more than
95% of
passengers.
Nonetheless, two
passengers
tested
positive for
coronavirus at
the end of the
trip.
"In term of
vaccination, the
protection is
not 100%.
Sufficient
vaccination
protects us from
developing a
chain of
infection, i.e.
sustained
infection in a
large population
but ... that
means sporadic
outbreaks can
still occur
particularly
with the new
variants of
concern," Li
noted.
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