What Is Your Preferred Liveaboard COVID-19 Policy?

[Brett Hatch]

Is that in case they get real sick and you have to head back, or for another reason?

On the other side, what blows my mind is people wanting to be around only vaccinated people on a boat. In my opinion it makes no difference on whether covid will hop aboard.

Vaccines dramatically reduce the risk of infection: Coronavirus Disease 2019 . I only really want to be around vaccinated people at all, but of course I don't get to make that decision for everyone else, that's up to them.

For most there would seem to be a much higher chance of acquiring it while traveling to the boat than before they leave home. As such the tests while they would get lucky sometimes, overall probably would miss or incorrectly diagnose more than they catch.

It's true that if you flew halfway around the world to arrive at your LOB, you are likely to have acquired it during the travel. What's the very best solution to that problem? Obviously, vaccines and masks -- we would all be a lot safer if these mandates returned for flights.

If they are symptomatic in a boat they should be taking precautions to keep others from getting sick anynow, no matter the sickness. But I see no reason to test.

If you're trying to minimize your own chance of spreading the disease, tests are useful because covid is contagious 1-3 days before symptom onset. So it can help you to avoid spreading it before you would otherwise know. Test mandates, of course, are helpful because operators of things like airplanes and liveaboards don't have to trust their customers to be self-evaluate their symptoms, they can trust the test instead.

So regardless of the vaccination/testing requirements, if y'all showed up on a liveaboard, and a few days in realized that you were positive, you are saying that it wouldn't change your behavior at all? You wouldn't tell the people around you, you wouldn't wear a mask, you wouldn't try to limit your exposure to others, that sort of thing?

 

[Outbound]

Ideally, I'd like every reasonable assurance that my trip isn't going to be ruined by developing covid while on the trip. For me, that means that means I go into a semi-strict quarantine before any trip and I wear a mask while at the airport, on the plane, etc. I just got my third booster shot, with the bivalent vaccine. If I do manage to contract covid while on at dive trip (liveaboard or land-based), hopefully I don't become symptomatic until the very end and don't miss any dives.

All that said, at this point I'm not sure that testing and vaccine requirements do all that much. First, what about crew? I was on a liveaboard this past summer to a destination where testing was required for entry, albeit with rather lax rules (72 hours prior to departure for vaccinated people). A crew member fell ill in the middle of the week. Then a passenger. Both were hit pretty hard. Then, right at the very end of the trip, several more passengers started developing symptoms. I ended up testing positive when I was back at home, as did several others, and fortunately had an extremely mild case. And my exposure came about two weeks after my fourth dose/second booster. I credit that with helping me to have only a very mild case, but it certainly didn't prevent illness. A family member just had a booster with the new bivalent vaccine and then two weeks later was at an event where she was exposed. She just tested positive. So far, a mild case. She's not a diver, but if she was and was currently on a dive trip, her symptoms (mostly congestion and fatigue) would definitely keep her out of the water.

In other words, I think we're are at a point where it's everyone for him/herself. Wear a mask, get your vaccine doses and boosters, and hope for the best. Unfortunately, the vaccine doesn't do nearly the job it once did at preventing illness.

 

[Manatee Diver]

Vaccines dramatically reduce the risk of infection: Coronavirus Disease 2019 . I only really want to be around vaccinated people at all, but of course I don't get to make that decision for everyone else, that's up to them.

That is no longer true with the current variants. There is some lowered infection and transmission rate, but the currently the vaccine provides a much much reduced protection from infection or lower transmission rates. To the point that they don't tout that reason like it it did when it provided very high levels of protection

To the point that IME Omicron went through our employees at the same 100% rate regardless of vaccination status. Granted the ones that were vaccinated were well enough to return to work sooner, with a much reduced severity level.

 

[Brett Hatch]

That is no longer true with the current variants. There is some lowered infection and transmission rate, but the currently the vaccine provides a much much reduced protection from infection or lower transmission rates. To the point that they don't tout that reason like it it did when it provided very high levels of protection

To the point that IME Omicron went through our employees at the same 100% rate regardless of vaccination status. Granted the ones that were vaccinated were well enough to return to work sooner, with a much reduced severity level.

Check out this study from May 2022, that looked at about 2.2 million people over a period from Dec 2021 - Jan 2022, which was the largest omicron wave: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2200797
That study had 2 cohorts: people with just the 2 initial doses, and people who also had a monovalent booster shot. 4.5% of the first cohort got covid, versus only 2.4% for the second cohort. So the old boosters are still very effective against omicron infection, just not as effective as they were against delta and prior strains. And that is just measuring the effect of the booster -- the initial 2 shots have an even greater effect.

Today, there are bivalent boosters that specifically address the omicron variant. The large studies on how well they prevent infection are ongoing, but I expect them to be pretty good. This notion that vaccines only reduce severity and do not prevent transmission is completely bogus, even with the recent variants.

 

[Centrals]

5.
Treat it as common cold/flu is my choice.

4. Is pathetic!!! I do not want to sit next to someone with sore throat on LoB. Anyone with cold symptom should be considerate. Blocked nose is no fun for scuba diver on LoB.

Pre-arrival PCT test? HK still pick up hundred of imported cases everyday from new arrival with -ve RT-PCR result(taken within 48hrs from arrival)!!

The biggest issue is how to confirm the case? Antigen test is NOT accurate and even PCR test is NOT 100% certain. And I do not think any LoB would have the resources to set up an PCR lab.
How to isolate the infected person from everyone is another issue.
What happen if the person developed symptom? Return to port or carry on regardless?
What would you do with the crew after the trip?

The operator has to explain it clearly before taking money.

I am vaccinated with multi-shots and would not mind to share a LoB with an unvaccinated person(crew or diver).

 

[Tracerbullet]

I treat it as if its the cold. I don’t run around telling everyone I have a cold and I don’t expect them to act that way either. YMMV. I’m a teacher and am around Petri dishes daily. Same as the flu and cold season. I take reasonable precautions during cold season, as I have done for years, even when I was in medicine. We are not getting rid of it so let’s move on.

 

[waterone]

Perhaps to let others know they are at risk. Others may be in a higher risk group for a bad outcome than you are. Does that seem considerate? I don't know your age or other risk factors I'm 68, otherwise pretty healthy. I would appreciate knowing my exexposure.

In my view you accept and are at risk for exposure to a multitude of sicknesses if you decide to travel and/or participate in a liveaboard.

Most people with comorbidities and the elderly have been vaxxed, boosted ect. as they know they are at risk. Their chance for severe sickness is smaller than it was but not 0, as is for the rest of the population there is always some risk.

Vaccines dramatically reduce the risk of infection: Coronavirus Disease 2019 . I only really want to be around vaccinated people at all, but of course I don't get to make that decision for everyone else, that's up to them.

I believe it gives many a false sense of security being only around vaccinated people. Look at the scubaboard invasion this year and how many not only caught covid but traveled home with it. Quick fyi that Daniel and I both tested positive for Covid.

Or look at the many liveaboard threads where everyone was vaccinated and tested and covid made the rounds easily.

I'm curious to how the Roatan trip will turn out but hope they will make out well.

What's the very best solution to that problem? Obviously, vaccines and masks -- we would all be a lot safer if these mandates returned for flights.

Test mandates, of course, are helpful because operators of things like airplanes and liveaboards don't have to trust their customers to be self-evaluate their symptoms, they can trust the test instead.

I disagree, in my mind it is theatre that helps some to feel better. Like Hawaii's safe travels, test 3 days before, but not if your vaxxed! Or you can only eat at a restaurant or inside if you have your vax card, stay safe!

If I traveled down today to get on a boat tomorrow, took a test and I wasn't sick before I left home but got a virus on the flight, the test it isn't going to work so well. As I said before it is possible for a preboard test to catch something every once in a while, but a much larger chance to miss a hell of a lot more that won't show up yet.

So regardless of the vaccination/testing requirements, if y'all showed up on a liveaboard, and a few days in realized that you were positive, you are saying that it wouldn't change your behavior at all? You wouldn't tell the people around you, you wouldn't wear a mask, you wouldn't try to limit your exposure to others, that sort of thing?

I guess you didn't read what I posted previously. I try to limit exposure to others when I'm sick, no matter the sickness.

 

[Manatee Diver]

This notion that vaccines only reduce severity and do not prevent transmission is completely bogus, even with the recent variants.

Tell that to the health authorities that said it provides limited protection against infection.

 

[Jcp2]

I chose other, as I’m not interested in being in a confined space with other people for long periods, with the chance of being stuck in a room for a long time. No cruises for me for now either. Not interested in being stuck in a room on a boat for vacation. Much happier to travel domestically and stay in a hotel. I hope COVID evolves into something that is just a nuisance and that rules around COVID evolve to reflect that lesser morbidity. Maybe next year, and I’ll reconsider.

 

[Brett Hatch]

Tell that to the health authorities that said it provides limited protection against infection.

Limited protection is not the same thing as no protection. Read the abstract of the study I posted in post #14, they found that the old booster was still quite effective at reducing infection of omicron variants (roughly 50% fewer cases). The new bivalent boosters are expected to be at least that good, if not better.