Four Australians are stranded on Grand Princess cruise ship off the coast of California as the Coast Guard delivers THOUSANDS of coronavirus testing kits after passengers and crew fell ill

  • The Grand Princess cruise ship has been banned from returning to San Francisco following a trip to Hawaii 
  • There are fears of a suspected coronavirus outbreak on board the vessel after at least 20 people fell ill
  • Two passengers who travelled on the same ship on a previous voyage last month tested positive for the virus 
  • The first was a 71-year-old man who died on Wednesday and became the state's first coronavirus death
  • Eleven passengers and 10 crew members who are currently on the same ship have now reported symptoms 
  • Four Australians are stranded on the Grand Princess cruise ship which remains off the coast of California 
  • The death toll in the US now sits at 11 with more than 160 confirmed cases across the country 

By Zoe Zaczek For Daily Mail Australia and Emily Crane and Chris Pleasance and Megan Sheets For Dailymail.com

Published: | Updated:

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Four Australians are stranded on the Grand Princess cruise ship more than 600km off the Californian coast amid fears of a suspected coronavirus outbreak.  

The US Coast Guard delivered virus testing kits to the ship as the number of cases across the US rises to more than 170 in 19 states. 

Thousands of passengers are currently on the Grand Princess cruise ship after it was banned on Wednesday from returning to its home port of San Francisco from a voyage to Hawaii after at least 20 people onboard fell ill.  

It comes after two passengers who travelled on the same ship on a previous voyage last month between San Francisco and Mexico tested positive for the coronavirus and one later died - becoming California's first fatality from the disease.     

Eleven passengers and 10 crew members who are currently on the same ship have now reported symptoms that could turn out to be the coronavirus, seasonal flu or the common cold.

Sixty two passengers who were on the previous Mexican cruise where the two cases were detected remained on the ship for the Hawaii voyage as well. 

Health officials said those passengers had contact with the two coronavirus cases. It is not yet clear if the 21 people currently reporting symptoms are among the 62 who were on the Mexico leg of the trip and came in contact with the two infected passengers. 

Thousands of passengers are currently on the Grand Princess cruise ship that was banned on Wednesday from returning to its home port of San Francisco from a voyage to Hawaii amid the suspected coronavirus outbreak (file image)

Thousands of passengers are currently on the Grand Princess cruise ship that was banned on Wednesday from returning to its home port of San Francisco from a voyage to Hawaii amid the suspected coronavirus outbreak (file image)

The US death toll from coronavirus has now risen to 11 with more than 170 confirmed in 19 states. 

At least 63 people are confirmed to have fallen ill in Australia with the deadly respiratory illness, including one baby, and two people have died.

In NSW, a Year 11 Sydney student is the latest person to test positive for the virus. Epping Boys High School was shut on Friday and staff and students have been advised to self-quarantine at home.

The death of an elderly NSW woman in an aged care facility has also meant 17 children had to be tested after they visited the Dorothy Henderson Lodge at Sydney's Macquarie Park.

James Kwan, 75, was the first Australian to die of the virus, after contracting it on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which was forced to dock off the coast of Japan.

Worldwide, the coronavirus has spread to 80 countries, with 95,000 confirmed cases and 3,250 deaths. 

An increase in testing in the US has seen a jump in confirmed cases in Washington state, California and New York - with Nevada and Tennessee each reporting their first cases in the last 24 hours. 

Eleven more cases were confirmed in New York City on Thursday, raising New York state's total to 22. Two new cases in New York City - a woman in her 80s and man in his 40s - are unrelated to the 50-year-old Manhattan attorney who infected at least nine, including his family and a friend's family. 

The Grand Princess is currently 400 miles off San Francisco and heading for port having returned from Hawaii after 11 passengers and 10 crew reported symptoms of coronavirus 

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF CORONAVIRUS?

Like other coronaviruses, including those that cause the common cold and that triggered SARS, COVID-19 is a respiratory illness.  

  • The most common symptoms are: 
  • Fever 
  • Dry cough 
  • Shortness of breath
  • Difficulty breathing 
  • Fatigue 

Although having a runny nose doesn't rule out coronavirus, it doesn't thus far appear to be a primary symptom. 

Most people only become mildly ill, but the infection can turn serious and even deadly, especially for those who are older or have underlying health conditions.  

In these cases, patients develop pneumonia, which can cause: 

  • Potentially with yellow, green or bloody mucus
  • Fever, sweating and shaking chills
  • Shortness of breath 
  • Rapid or shallow breathing 
  • Pain when breathing, especially when breathing deeply or coughing 
  • Low appetite, energy and fatigue 
  • Nausea and vomiting (more common in children) 
  • Confusion (more common in elderly people)
  • Some patients have also reported diarrhea and kidney failure has occassionally been a complication. 

Avoid people with these symtpoms. If you develop them, call your health care provider before going to the hospital or doctor, so they and you can prepare to minimize possivle exposure if they suspect you have coronavirus.  

 

President Donald Trump boasted in a tweet on Thursday about the low US fatality count in comparison to the rest of the world.

'With approximately 100,000 CoronaVirus cases worldwide, and 3,280 deaths, the United States, because of quick action on closing our borders, has, as of now, only 129 cases (40 Americans brought in) and 11 deaths. We are working very hard to keep these numbers as low as possible!' he tweeted. 

It comes as the string of cases across the country prompted California, Washington state, Florida and Hawaii to declare statewide emergencies due to the coronavirus threat. 

Addressing the cruise ship off the coast of California, Governor Gavin Newsom said vessel would remain at sea until passengers and crew complaining of symptoms that may be consistent with the coronavirus can be tested to determine whether they have it. 

Coronavirus testing kits were flown out to the ship on Thursday and samples will be analyzed at a state laboratory in the San Francisco Bay area, a process Newsom said should produce results in a matter of hours. 

'So we're holding that ship, which is thousands of passengers, off the coast, and will be conducting those tests and getting those tests back,' Newsom said.

'The ship will not come onshore until we properly assess passengers.'

Two passengers - who identified themselves as Laura and Leah - uploaded a YouTube video showing themselves in their cabin after a warning was issued. They are shown reading out a statement from the cruise line while one of them coughs, though the pair insist they do not have coronavirus. 

California's first coronavirus victim - a 71-year-old man - had boarded the Grand Princess in San Francisco on February 11 for a 10 day voyage to Mexico, arriving back on February 21. 

The man subsequently fell ill and went to hospital in Placer County, to the east of Sacramento, where he was diagnosed with the virus before he died. 

Health officials say it is 'highly likely' the man was exposed to the virus on board the Grand Princess but have not yet said how the disease got on board. 

The Grand Princess can hold up to 2,500 passengers and 1,150 crew. It is not clear how many people are currently on board. State health authorities, working with the CDC, are trying to contact some 2,500 passengers who were on the earlier voyage. 

A statement from the cruise line said that it had been alerted by the CDC that a 'small cluster' of coronavirus cases in northern California had been linked to the ship.  

The predicament of the Grand Princess cruise liner was reminiscent of the Diamond Princess vessel that was quarantined off the coast of Japan in February and was, for a time, the largest concentration of cornoavirus cases outside China. 

Some American passengers from that ship were ultimately repatriated to military bases in California for extended quarantines. 

California health authorities have confirmed 53 cases, the most of any single US state, from the respiratory disease that has killed more than 3,000 people worldwide.

The death of the former cruise passenger in California marked the first coronavirus fatality in the US outside of Washington state, where 10 people have died in a cluster of at least 39 infections in the Seattle area. Researchers say the virus may have been circulating undetected there for weeks. 

 

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Wednesday, and said coronavirus testing kits are now being flown to the Grand Princess

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Wednesday, and said coronavirus testing kits are now being flown to the Grand Princess

Medics wheel out a person on a stretcher from the Life Care Center of Kirkland on Wednesday where a cluster of the US coronavirus deaths have occurred

Medics wheel out a person on a stretcher from the Life Care Center of Kirkland on Wednesday where a cluster of the US coronavirus deaths have occurred 

Most of the Washington state victims were patients at Life Care Center (pictured). The nursing home is now the subject of a federal investigation

Most of the Washington state victims were patients at Life Care Center (pictured). The nursing home is now the subject of a federal investigation

There are more than 95,000 confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide as of Wednesday evening

There are more than 95,000 confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide as of Wednesday evening

Everything you need to know about coronavirus

By Natalie Rahhal, Acting US Health Editor for DailyMail.com  

HOW DANGEROUS IS CORONAVIRUS?

About 14 percent of people who contract the Covid-19 coronavirus are taken to hospital – with severe symptoms including breathing problems and pneumonia. About 5 per cent need intensive care.

But the majority who get the virus suffer nothing more than a cough and may never know they are infected.

So far, some 51,000 people around the world have already recovered from coronavirus – and that just includes the numbers who received a diagnosis. 

HOW MANY PEOPLE DIE?

Officially, the death rate so far has been just over three percent. But experts believe the true mortality rate is probably between one and two percent. This is because most mild cases have not been picked up by doctors or reflected in the official numbers – so the death rate is inflated. 

HOW DOES THIS COMPARE WITH OTHER DISEASES?

Seasonal flu kills roughly 0.1 percent of people. So Covid-19 is between 10 and 20 times more fatal.

But it is far less dangerous than SARS – the virus that ripped across China in 2003 – which killed 10 percent of patients.

BUT DOESN’T CORONAVIRUS SPREAD MORE EASILY?

Yes, but not dramatically. The best estimates suggest every person with Covid-19 passes it on to 2.6 people, on average. For flu that number is 1.5. 

CAN IT BE SPREAD WITHOUT SYMPTOMS?

Initially scientists feared carriers who had no symptoms could pass it on. That is now in doubt.

What is likely, however, is those who have mild symptoms are putting it down to a cold and going about their normal lives – which puts others at risk.

HOW LONG IS IT BEFORE SYMPTOMS APPEAR?

Again, unclear. Initially scientists said this could take up to two weeks.

But recent evidence suggests the incubation period could be as long as a month – particularly among children.

The average, however, is much shorter. A Chinese study said the average period of symptom onset was 5.4 days for adults and 6.5 for children. 

WHO IS AT RISK?

The virus can affect anyone – with a study of the first 41 infected people revealing two thirds did not suffer from any pre-existing condition. But the middle-aged are most likely to get it – 78 percent of those infected in China have been aged 30 to 69.

WHAT ABOUT THE OLD?

Only 3 percent of people infected so far have been over 80 – but if they get it they are more vulnerable. Analysis of 72,000 cases in China suggests for over-80s the death rate is 15 percent. For those in their 70s the death rate is 8 percent and for those in their 60s, 4 percent.

WHO ELSE IS VULNERABLE?

Those with other conditions – such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and kidney problems – are likely to suffer severe complications if they become infected.

WHAT ABOUT CHILDREN?

Children seem to be low-risk. Less than 1 percent of the Chinese cases have been under the age of ten – and if children do get the virus it’s often a mild form.

They do, however, retain the virus for longer than adults.

A study last week found the virus was still present in the stools of some children for a month after they contracted it.

DOES GENDER MATTER?

Men are marginally more likely to get the virus than women. It is not clear why this is.

HOW DO DOCTORS TEST FOR COVID-19?

Anyone who has symptoms –particularly if they have travelled to an at-risk area – are told to call ahead to their health care provider, local emergency department or clinics.

This way, health care providers can be prepared, wearing masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment when they meet the possible patient and escort them to isolated areas of the facility.

They are tested using a cheek swab which is sent off for analysis at one of 12 Public Health England labs, a process that takes between 24 and 48 hours. Any positive test is double-checked at the main PHE lab in Colindale.

WHAT TREATMENT DO PATIENTS GET?

There is little doctors can do to tackle the virus, but they can treat the symptoms – such as fever and respiratory problems. Antivirals and antibiotics are also used, mainly to keep secondary problems at bay.

In the most serious cases patients are put on life-support equipment.

There are several clinical trials for potential coronavirus treatments ongoing worldwide, including one in Nebraska, where at least 13 patients are in quarantine, including two in biocontainment units. 

WHAT ABOUT A VACCINE?

Even though the Wuhan virus appeared only a few weeks ago, 20 teams around the world are already manufacturing vaccines.

Chinese authorities provided the DNA code for the virus early on in the outbreak, enabling scientists to get to work straight away.

At least 30 companies and research institutions in the US are racing to make a vaccine.

Last week, one of these companies, Moderna, shipped its candidate vaccine to the US, signalling the shot was ready to begin clinical trials.

Even so, US health authorities say it will likely be upwards of a year before a vaccine is actually ready.

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Four Australians stranded on Grand Princess cruise ship off Californian coast amid coronavirus fear

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