Cambodia’s Coronavirus Complacency May Exact a Global Toll

Could this be the solution to global warming? How about the gross misinformation being spread? Could all of our problems in the world right now be solved with a mass culling of the population? The answer, when we return.

So, have the lawsuits against Holland America started yet? First person infected in Cambodia can sue the ship’s company for the apparently fraudulent statement that everyone on board was virus-free. If the crazy dictator does not allow the suits in his country, relatives just come on over (if you truly are virus free) and talk to lawyers here, or wherever the ship is really from, although if not registered in the U.S. then you can add “fraudulent advertisement” given the Holland America name. Are there any international treaties or conventions that can slap something on a country due to the erratic behavior of its leader during and pertaining to a pandemic?

Michael Osterholm's observation is eloquent but misdirected. “It’s like trying to stop the wind.” Well, that's why we build windbreaks. We channel and funnel and direct wind in order to diminish destructive power but also harness energy. That's how sail boats work. What's going on in Cambodia is more like kicking the windows open during a hurricane and hoping the storm blows right through. Not very intelligent. You should be afraid. A 1 percent mortality rate on 1,000,000 infections is 10,000 deaths. CONVID-19 could easily infect hundreds of millions in weeks. Excessive caution buys time. We hope the virus will slow down in warmer months. However, we still need a year at least until a vaccine is developed. If you, your child, or your parent contract the virus before there's adequate treatment, that's it. You're rolling the dice on your entire family. The odds aren't good. Hun Sen just placed a genocidal number of people at risk.

Is this how it all ends? I guess we don't have to worry about climate change. Don't tell Greta Thunberg and her family. They've been counting on a big payday.

Mr. Hun Sen better hope that this spectacle won't come back to haunt him personally. He is not a young man and the elderly are probably more susceptible to coronavirus complications. What foolish behavior he is exhibiting.

Cambodia has never been known as a place with public health excellence, superb medical care, or distinguished medical personnel. When you couple this with Holland Amercia's irresponsibility of just wanting to dock its ship somewhere and not owning up to the acknowledgment that some of its passengers could be carriers of the virus, you've got an explosive cocktail that could potentially explode on the world.

Here's the bottom line on masks; if they are the cheap ones sold in home centers as "dust masks", they are useless for protecting oneself against airborne bacteria and viruses. They do not fit tight to the face, leaving gaps. Good masks cost money. The masks that will be effective are the ones made to protect against fumes and gases, such as spray painting, handling fuel, and protection from smoke and vapors. If the virus is transmitted through the air, there can be no gaps in the mask that allow unfiltered air into the lungs. Though the masks seen in pictures of Chinese volunteers appear better than hardware store dust masks, they are ultimately inadequate in keeping out all particles.

If we start trusting governments like that in Cambodia, a global pandemic might not be too far down the road. Flights to and from any country and Cambodia should be grounded immediately. Imagine a world putting its trust in a Cambodian government to do what's right.

The reporting on the coronavirus is another example that exaggerated reporting on an unfortunate event can cause more damage than the event itself. The mortality rate of this virus is about 0.6% outside of Wuhan province in China and is dropping. The mortality rate drops to less than 0.3% outside of China. It's clearly and quickly losing virulence as it spreads away from the epicenter of Wuhan. The death rate outside of China is in the same range as a seasonal flu. Overreaction on this particular disease is not only causing unnecessary damage to the world economy, but distracts our attention to this year's seasonal flu, which has caused much more death than the coronavirus.

If Cambodia does become a "vector of transmission" of the COVID-19 virus, the Holland-America cruise ship line must bear some of the responsibility. They were desperate to bring the ship into port. They allegedly did no testing of their passengers besides taking their temperature. The virus appears to be contagious by people who are infected but remain asymptomatic. Holland-America knew this. The previous port-of-call was Hong Kong, part of the PRC, on February 1, where new passengers boarded. HK has a number of people infected by the virus. Holland-America knew this. Other nations knew all of the above: they refused permission for the ship to stop at any of them. Maybe Cambodia knows more about this virus than those local nations (including the USA: Western Samoa also turned away the ship.) Perhaps Prime Minister Hun Sen is as wise as he is generous. Surely Holland-America hopes so.

My questions: 1. How long will it take to sanitize and disinfect the cruise ships, hotels, etc where coronavirus infected people have stayed? 2. Do masks really work? 3. What is the impact to international sporting events, eg. summer Olympics, Formula 1, World Cup? 4. Is there a vaccine or cure?

I don't want to cause more fear but I have a question: How it is possible that in Japan there are now 3 members of the medical team providing care for the Princess Cruise ship are now infected. And in Wuhan the medical director is among the casualties. With all the modern equipments and professional training, how can the virus be transmitted to medical team members?

It goes to show how interconnected we are. In hindsight, it might have been better that a country with better healthcare system and a leader with commonsense had let Westerdam docked so that the passengers and crews could be tested properly. All these days of reporting, not one journalists asked Westerdam how they determined that none of the people on their ship were infected. How was their "screening" that accurately determined that all on board were free of the viral infection? After all, they actually tested only 20 of them. Westerdam just wanted to get the passengers off their ship. They should not have set sail in the first place. All cruises should be banned now till the outbreak is under controlled. This definitely is a case of private companies socializing their cost in bad times, while keeping all their profit in good times.

As I wrote January 17th in the NY Times comment section "The confines of our crowded air transport system including airports and airplanes will some day be the corridor for spreading the next great plague. Not sure how this can be changed but this "mysterious respiratory virus" will give the authorities yet another dry run to check their own abilities... Human nature being what it is, every fictional plague horror film starts with someone not being truthful about how they are feeling..." A few weeks later I modified that: "Human nature being what it is in totalitarian states, the new fictional plague horror film starts with a country not being truthful about how their citizens are feeling. One option is to confront China with an international travel ban while they work out the spread of the disease domestically during their holiday season. In the fictional version of this, other governments, hindered by complex economic interdependence, can't get themselves to take real action until they start losing their own citizens. Of course by then, it is too late. Relax; just fiction, right?" So to update it again. I now suggest you read Edgar Allan Poe's the Masque of the Red Death. Published 178 years ago. Poe's "Prince Prospero", the confident despot, didn't have to deal with airports and cruise ships, yet his efforts still failed. Miserably. Prince Prospero... Ring a bell?

I had a bad feeling when Cambodia let everyone on that ship just go on their way. The virus would have escaped anyway, probably and we won’t likely be able keep it out of America. I hope our present government can handle a real crisis.

Cambodia could indeed become a vector of transmission. Here is a story in the local news in Seattle of an American from Oregon who was told to stay in Cambodia but find a way to leave anyway and landed at Sea-Tac Airport where no one stopped him since he was not coming from China. https://komonews.com/news/local/man-stranded-on-coronavirus-infected-cruise-ship-arrives-at-sea-tac-airport

This is a deadly mistake from government officials....the window of opportunity to contain this disease is closing. Probably it is now too late. How can US have not quarantined the passengers arriving from Cambodia? This is not the flu!

The mortality rate of the coronavirus is about 0.6% outside of the Wuhan province in China and is dropping. It's less than 0.3% in the rest of the world outside of China. The virus is quickly losing its virulence as it spreads away from the epicenter of Wuhan. In fact, its mortality rate is in the same range as seasonal flu outside of China. Overreaction to the headlines is not only causing unnecessary damage to the world economy, but distracts our attention away from the ongoing seasonal flu, which has caused much more death than the coronavirus.

When will the CDC raise the travel alerts beyond China? This is only going to get worse over the next month with Spring Break. People from all over the world choose SE Asia because it's an affordable, warm escape this time of year. Shouldn't the CDC be suggesting travelers postpone or reschedule these trips, at least until we know more about the best treatment for this disease?

How many of the Westerdam passengers have flown out of Cambodia and where did they go? Holland America has a ship manifest that can be cut down to the disembarked passengers and then compared to flight manifests. It is 2020 so this can work can be done by computer quickly. Countries should be alerted to those possibly infected passengers who have entered. Passengers still in Cambodia should be banned from commercial flights entirely and should only return to their home countries aboard charter flights to face 14 days of quarantine upon landing. Any person objecting to these precautions can remain in Cambodia until a vaccine is found and infection ceases.

Many from that ship have now entered the US with no quarantine. I'm fine blaming Cambodia, but why did the US allow them in without quarantine? The NYT had already reported the risk!

The Times has reported that Japan's policy toward the cruise ship Diamond Princess is "a textbook example of how not to handle a public health crisis." Cambodia's policy is different from Japan's. Therefore, the Times should either praise Cambodia's policy, or walk back its criticism of Japan's policy.

I don't know what is NYT and some western media are doing besides spreading the hysteria and blaming the Chinese government incompetence: is ita better end for the Westerdam and other cruise ships to keep their passengers on board until everyone on board got infected? I think the Cambodia leader and its government did a humane and right thing in the light of the information available. Compared it with that of the Princess Diamond, take your pick.

Can the Times choose a lane re: masks? I've read elsewhere in your pages that masks offer little protection and drive hysteria. And here, that same argument is mocked because it's espoused by Mr. Hun Sen. I'll confess I don't know enough about Cambodian politics and he very well may be a terrible leader and dictator, but is he correct or not on masks?

Third passenger - on board this ship! - has now tested positive for the Virus. Not surprising. But very worrying. Each of us, across the planet, must consider that we could become infected, or even if not, need to spend time in quarantine. World Leaders must work together so that the expenses of quarantine or hospitalization - especially in poor countries - must somehow be aided, whether via personnel or money or advice.

Given the unknowns still standing regarding incubation times, transmission levels and ways, and a fairly clear 2%+ mortality rate.. this was incompetence in the extreme. Particularly given that only a small number of passengers were actually tested for the virus before released to go ashore.

From what i am reading, Cambodia might be a launchpad with a day of reckoning for the global economy. This country is completely reckless

seems like we need a vaccine badly to overcome the "lock 'em up" virus that's taking over our societies.

Well then we should ban all people who've been aboard this ship, or in Cambodia, from entering the U.S.! I will note, though, that this article raises an alarm because the passengers were allowed to disembark without having to wear face masks. Yet everywhere else there's been a rush to convince us that face masks are useless, won't protect us, etc. Who to believe? Personally I think those in power want to hoard all the face masks for themselves.

If Cambodians failed to take proper health precautions that might be excused because of a dearth of information. But what was the US ambassador’s excuse for not donning a mask? If he was afraid of offending Cambodia’s leader he should have made an excuse and stayed away.

People don't read enough science fiction. I don't know why, because it's always been among the best stuff out there to read...I place it alongside others of my favorites...Tolstoy, Maugham, Hammett...I could go on. Asimov, Bradbury, Wells, Herbert and others teach us (often eloquently) about slow-moving processes or events that take place on scales that are very large or small, like environmental damage, evolution, the takeover of artificial intelligence, life under totalitarian rule, and relevant to the present topic...plagues. The myopic view of the average human will be the downfall of our species. Just look at the media coverage of the virus...half of the articles are about its possible effects on the economy. The economy! Seriously? Scientists are so very, very frustrated that we are not listened to. Sometimes I think it is actually only a matter of time before a true 'mad scientist' decides to annihilate half the world. If it happens, it's because of this frustration.

One person out of a population of 2,257 has coronavirus. That is 0.044% of the population. I would tend to look at this occurrence as an outlier if the potential consequences were not so devastating. The Westerdam sailed on February 1. Passengers disembarked on February 14. The people were quarantined for 14 days. To say that Cambodia was reckless is valid only if the worst case scenario comes true. At this point, the virus has too many unknowns for an accurate assessment. The following are the ones I've wondered about. The Coronavirus unknowns. 1. How the virus is transmitted from one person to another. 2. Once transmitted, how long before the person shows symptoms. (Working assumption is 14 days.) 3. Once transmitted, when the is person contagious? Do you have to have symptoms for the virus to be contagious? 4. Once transmitted, how much time until the virus can be detected in the person.

Maybe, maybe not. Right now, this is just a story you're selling because fear mongering sells. Come back with this when it's actual news.

Generally speaking, human societies are as ill-prepared to deal with the COVID 19 as they are prepared to deal with global warming. The insouciant human race has little drive to save itself.

It was bound to happen... Irresponsible third-world messianic leaders putting at risk the rest of the world with their populist actions!

Cambodia left the barn door open. And if Japan allows the remaining passengers on the Diamond ship to stream out now, that’s another barn door open. I have every compassion and concern for these passengers feeling trapped on a ship. Indeed, I traveled back and forth from NY to Great Britain - by ship - in mid-August and early- November of 2019. So I can well imagine the circumstances, the anxiety, the sense of feeling imprisoned in a small room. But at the same time, this is new virus, the entire world population is potentially at risk, and every nation must do as much as possible to protect us all. Of course there must a plan to disembark all these passengers. But that must include ways to quarantine them, whether in Japan or elsewhere. They must all be protected from each other and from anyone who cares for them. And that quarantine might need to last more than 2 weeks. Any one of us must be prepared to take precautions as well as be ready for their life to be upended by a quarantine. We must come to see a quarantine as a public service some are “called” to perform. It’s as simple as that. It’s as necessary as that.

Another good example of how corruption can distort and even kill. At the very least, there should have been CDC inspectors to help manage the release of the passengers and crew. Can’t even trust the WHO to do its job.

Cambodia has a health infrastructure that is sorely ill equipped to handle the Covid 19 crisis. Hun Sen's vanity project to gain the spotlight on the world stage will only backfire and the ones who will pay the highest prices will be the economically poor masses.