[윤설영의 일본 속으로] There was neither principle nor vision… “Cruise line quarantine failure continues even now”

Japanese cruise ship coronavirus outbreak 1 year
Respond with’blockade of the hull’, but confirmed one after another
Disembarkation passengers may have spread infection
PCR test, shortage of beds continues

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“This ship will arrive in the offshore of Yokohama at 8:30 pm on the 3rd earlier than expected, and quarantine will be conducted.”

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At this time, news was secretly delivered to the cruise ship that a male passenger who got off on January 25 in Hong Kong was infected with a novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19). On the night of the 3rd, a small boat carrying a quarantine officer headed for a cruise ship. On the night of the 4th, 10 out of 31 passengers who showed fever symptoms were confirmed as Corona 19, but no action was taken on board. More than 2,000 passengers enjoyed the last night of the cruise in restaurants, concert halls and swimming pools.

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The Diamond Princess is anchored at Yokohama Port, Japan on the morning of February 19 last year. [교도=연합뉴스]

– It was the morning of the 5th the next day that the atmosphere on board changed dramatically. News from the Japanese quarantine authorities were instructed to stay in each room, and that the disembarkation will take place at the earliest 14 days. It was the beginning of the’Nightmare Cruise’, an unprecedented 14-day hull isolation.

The case of the Covid-19 outbreak of the Diamond Princess that took place in February last year shocked the world. Just before the world experienced the Corona 19 pandemic, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in Japan at that time was only 24 (as of February 4).

According to official statistics from the Japanese government, out of a total of 3713 passengers and crew on the cruise ship, 712 were confirmed to have Corona 19 and 14 died. However, it is estimated that there are much more people who have been actually confirmed. Many of the foreign passengers returned to their home country while waiting for the test, and 23 of the Australian and U.S. passengers were confirmed positive through tests after arriving on their land.

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Diamond Princess Corona 19 group infection case log. Graphic = Kim Eun-kyo [email protected]

– Kentaro Iwata (岩田健太郎), a professor at Kobe University Hospital (infectious disease internal medicine), reported in the JoongAng Ilbo, “The number of 712 people is only strong by the Japanese government, and the actual number of infected people will be about 1,000.” In fact, not all 3713 people were tested.

On the 5th, quarantine began to prevent all passengers from leaving the room, but the number of confirmed cases did not decrease. On the 17th, the 13th day of quarantine, 99 confirmed cases were poured out during one day. Nine outsiders, including quarantine officers and employees of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, who were conducting investigations on the ship were also confirmed one after another.

Professor Iwata, who entered the ship at the request of the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the 18th, still clearly remembers the situation on the ship. He said, “The basics of quarantine were not zoning (the work of dividing a safe place from viruses into a green zone and a contaminated place into a red zone). I wasn’t getting drunk at all, so it was natural for the virus to spread.”

He was kicked out of the boat when he pointed out a problem at the scene and later informed the world about the situation on the boat through YouTube. He revealed, “I have been dealing with infectious diseases for over 20 years, but the quarantine status was so poor that I felt fear.”

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Kentaro Iwata, a professor of infectious disease internal medicine at Kobe University Hospital, tells the situation through a YouTube video on the day after boarding the cruise ship “Diamond Princess” last year. [유튜브 동영상 캡처]

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In the first place, the Japanese quarantine authorities, which were unable to inspect 3700 people or even thought of a bed to accommodate them, took special measures to prevent all passengers from getting off the boat. In the end, however, this measure is pointed to as the cause of the spread of the infection. In particular, the flight attendants who delivered food to passengers played a role in spreading the virus throughout the ships without properly equipped quarantine clothing.

Masahiro Kami, Chairman of Medical Governance, said in an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo, “At the time, the top priority of the Japanese government was not the health of passengers. It was only the thought of the Tokyo Olympics and the idea that infected people should not be able to set foot on land.” In particular, he points out that it was defeat that treated the elderly with chronic illnesses and the flight attendants in their 20s alike.

There were also problems in the disembarkation process of passengers. A total of 1011 passengers disembarked over three days from the 19th, but did not undergo further PCR tests when disembarking. They were scattered across the country by public transportation such as highway buses and Shinkansen. Of the passengers, 249 showed abnormal symptoms after returning home, of which 7 were confirmed positive. Considering the asymptomatic patients, there may have been more undisclosed infections. No follow-up investigations have been made to see if they have spread the infection in the community.

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On the morning of February 19, last year, buses to pick up unconfirmed corona 19 passengers awaiting the cruise ship Diamond Princess docked at the Daikoku Pier of Yokohama Port. [교도=연합뉴스]

– Problems such as the lack of PCR tests and difficulty securing beds revealed in the course of responding to cruise ships continued in Japan’s response to Corona 19 for the past year. Private companies that perform PCR tests have been created, and patients with mild symptoms or asymptomatic patients can take care in designated hotels rather than hospitals, but experts point out that “the nature that non-professionals are directing the quarantine administration has not changed.” Professor Iwata pointed out, “Without a final goal for quarantine, a’tinkering prescription’ was followed by quarantining when the number of patients increases, and increasing the number of wards when the number of wards is insufficient.”

The Japanese government, however, has never changed its stance on “containment was an appropriate measure” (Suga Yoshihide, then Secretary of State, February 18, 2020). Prime Minister Suga said at the National Assembly on the 5th, “It is a matter that is directly connected to the preparation for new infectious diseases, so we will properly verify it.”

The Japanese government is working on an international manual to share the responsibility for an infectious disease outbreak on a cruise ship with a budget of 30 million yen (approximately 317 million won). At that time, the cruise ship was of British nationality, the operating company was of the United States, and the captain was of Italian nationality.

The Diamond Princess has not escaped the curse of Corona 19. In November of last year, a full-page advertisement was posted in the daily newspaper to announce the resumption of business, but it was the day when the number of new corona19 confirmed cases reached a record high. It is expected that the voyage will be resumed as soon as possible after July.

Tokyo = correspondent Yoon Seol-young [email protected]



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