
Public Health Responses to COVID-19 Outbreaks on Cruise Ships - herpderperator
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6912e3.htm
======
raldi
_Say it with me: viral RNA doesn 't necessarily mean live virus was present.
Now you're going to see "coronavirus can live on surfaces for 17 days!" over
and over, but we don't know that based on this study and for those using live
virus, it's much shorter._

[https://twitter.com/aetiology/status/1242254105155973122](https://twitter.com/aetiology/status/1242254105155973122)

~~~
QuasiGiani
Yeah... Yeah! ...Yeah!

Take this (take that!) from someone interested in etiology... who then goes on
to "proclaim":

"...they _may_ no longer be able to grow inside cells, _even if_..."

...maybe if...

As useless as maybe hands-down almost literally everything ev-aar-ruh said
like literally possibly maybe before since and may be after even if (say it
with me!) "they may".

~~~
thatguy0900
I have no idea what you're trying to say

------
viraptor
The actual quote is:

> SARS-CoV-2 RNA was identified on a variety of surfaces in cabins of both
> symptomatic and asymptomatic infected passengers up to 17 days after cabins
> were vacated on the Diamond Princess but before disinfection procedures had
> been conducted

But can anyone confirm if that means the actual virus was found, or would
something inactive like random skin cells also get identified this way?

Edit: I asked the question, because the original title implied the actual
virus was found.

~~~
Lucadg
This is of huge significance. So far I've been acting in the 3 days life on
surfaces.

I quarantined purchases for 5 days before bringing them in the apartment.

If it's 17 days or more it's all been in vain.

It also means it's much harder to stop.

Virtually no one I know in Italy is taking precautions on the stuff they bring
home from the supermarket.

My personal nightmare: a nation in lockdown getting infected by the stuff they
buy.

~~~
selectodude
Finding RNA is no different than finding a dead body and declaring it still
alive because the body is still there. The virus particles don't just
vaporize.

~~~
Lucadg
Yes. I meant if it's active after 17 days, which at the moment seems not to be
the case. I'm sticking with the 5 days rule.

------
jka
SARS-CoV-2 RNA was discovered on surfaces inside cabins in the ship after 17
days of quarantine measures according to an NIID[0] staff member.

It is not yet confirmed that this has been a vector for further transmission.

During the vessel's quarantine in Japan, all _passengers_ were quarantined on
land, but some _crew_ were quarantined on the ship.

This quote appears roughly halfway down the page:

"SARS-CoV-2 RNA was identified on a variety of surfaces in cabins of both
symptomatic and asymptomatic infected passengers up to 17 days after cabins
were vacated on the Diamond Princess but before disinfection procedures had
been conducted (Takuya Yamagishi, National Institute of Infectious Diseases,
personal communication, 2020). Although these data cannot be used to determine
whether transmission occurred from contaminated surfaces, further study of
fomite transmission of SARS-CoV-2 aboard cruise ships is warranted."

And this quote earlier in the page refers to the quarantine in Japan:

"After disembarkation of all passengers, crew members either completed a
14-day ship-based quarantine, were repatriated to and managed in their home
country, or completed a 14-day land-based quarantine in Japan."

[0] - [https://www.niid.go.jp/niid/en/](https://www.niid.go.jp/niid/en/)

------
gdm85
> Although these data cannot be used to determine whether transmission
> occurred from contaminated surfaces, further study of fomite transmission of
> SARS-CoV-2 aboard cruise ships is warranted.

------
russellbeattie
Nevermind.

~~~
viraptor
> that the virus lives so long on surfaces

There is no confirmation the virus itself lives on surfaces for long periods.
Just RNA

