COVID-19 and the Diamond and Ruby Princesses.

The Diamond Princess.

The Diamond Princess was quarantined in the Port of Yokohama on 4th February 2020 after 10 people on board were diagnosed with COVD-19.

About 4,000 of those onboard the Diamond Princess were tested, with over 700 showing positive for COVID-19, and 12 having died.

The Ruby Princess.

The Ruby Princess arrived in Sydney on 8th March 2020 with ‘158 people who were sick and 13 of whom had a temperature‘.

NSW Health arrived at the Overseas Passenger Terminal to screen the sick passengers, and determined the ship presented a ‘medium risk’. NSW Health then ran COVID-19 tests on nine of those who were ill. Those tests returned a negative result.

The Ruby Princess was cleared to leave and 2,700 new passengers then joined over 1,000 crew members, who had remained on board, and left Sydney the same day, 8th March 2020, for its next cruise to New Zealand.

The Ruby Princess returned to Sydney on 19th March 2020, but notified authorities that ‘128 persons had reported as ill in the previous 14 days, with 24 having a temperature over 38 degrees Celsius.‘

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This time, NSW Health determined the Ruby Princess was a low risk, and chose not to attend the docking, advising that the passengers were free to leave.

The ambulance that met the Ruby Princess, on 19th March 2020, took a sick passenger to hospital. This passenger became the first of many COVID-19 cases, and the first to die, from the Ruby Princess.

It transpired that the Ruby Princess was not a low risk when it docked on 19th March 2020.

In Australia, as at Sunday, 5th April 2020, there are at least 660 COVID-19 cases from the Ruby Princess, with 11 passengers who have since died. This has increased to 20 deaths, in Australia, by 13th May 2020.

The NSW Police homicide squad launched a criminal investigation into the Ruby Princess coronavirus deaths.

Ruby Princess Cruise Ship Deaths in Australia.

Tue, 24 March 2020 A 77-year-old woman died in a Sydney hospital after disembarking the Ruby Princess cruise ship in Sydney on March 14
Sat, 28 March 2020 A 75-year-old female Ruby Princess passenger died in Caboolture hospital, north of Brisbane.
Mon, 30 March 2020 A woman in her 80s died at North-West Regional Hospital, Tasmania. She had been on board the Ruby Princess.
Mon, 30 March 2020 A woman in her 80s died at Canberra Hospital, ACT, after acquiring the disease overseas. She had been on board the Ruby Princess.
Mon, 30 March 2020 A man in his 80s died at Royal Hobart Hospital, Tasmania. He had also been on board the Ruby Princess.
Wed, 1 April 2020 A NSW grandmother died at Orange Base Hospital in NSW’s Central West.
Thu, 2 April 2020 An 85-year-old man died overnight at Darling Downs Hospital in Toowoomba, Queensland. He had been on board the Ruby Princess.
Sun, 5 April 2020 61 yr old from the Ruby Princess Cruise ship, died in Westmead Hospital
Sun, 5 April 2020 76 yr old from the Ruby Princess Cruise ship, died in Westmead Hospital
Sun, 5 April 2020 80 yr old from the Ruby Princess Cruise ship, died in Port Macquarie Base Hospital
Sun, 5 April 2020 A 78-year-old man with underlying medical conditions, died at Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane. 11th Ruby Princess passenger
Mon, 6 April 2020 An 84 yr old man has died at Royal Perth Hospital. He was a Ruby Princess passenger
Tue, 7 April 2020 An 87-year-old woman in NSW was a recent Ruby Princess passenger.
Tue, 7 April 2020 A man on his 80s, a Ruby Princess passenger, has died in Tasmania.
Wed, 8 April 2020 A 62 yr old woman died in the Royal Adelaide Hospital acquiring COVID-19 from the Ruby Princess.
Sun, 12 April 2020 A 74-year-old male Ruby Princess passenger, has died in South Australia from coronavirus.
Mon, 13 April 2020 A 76-year-old male Ruby Princess passenger, has died in Newcastle, NSW from coronavirus.
Mon, 13 April 2020 A 74-year-old female Ruby Princess passenger, has died at the John Hunter hospitals, NSW from coronavirus.
Wed, 15 April 2020 A woman, in her 60s, a Ruby Princess passenger, has died in a Canberra Hospital.
Wed, 13 May 2020 An 81-year-old female passenger from the Ruby Princess has died in NSW.