What the cruise-ship outbreaks reveal about COVID-19

What the cruise-ship outbreaks reveal about COVID-19

Passengers quarantined on the cruise ship Diamond Princess. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP/Shutterstock)

Cruise ship offers outbreak microcosm The COVID-19 outbreak on the cruise ship Diamond Princess has given researchers the rare opportunity to study the virus in a highly controlled population. Almost all of the 3,711 passengers and crew on the cruise ship were tested, some of them more than once. Some 700 people were infected, with a substantial number — 18% — showing no symptoms (the passengers included a large number of elderly people, who are most likely to develop severe disease if infected, so the share of asymptomatic people in the general population is probably higher). In a separate preprint study that has not yet been peer reviewed, taking into account data from the ship and from China, researchers estimate a case fatality rate of around 1.1% — much lower than the 3.8% estimated by the World Health Organization. (Nature | 5 min read) A group of 100 research societies, professional organizations and universities is calling on the US government to lift restrictions on the use of fetal tissue in research. They argue that the limits delay necessary work on potential treatments for COVID-19. The ban was brought in to appease those who object to the use of tissue from aborted fetuses. (Nature | Continuously updated) Some epidemiologists and public-health researchers are watching with horror as the United States fumbles the COVID-19 outbreak within its borders. A lack of preparation, a shortage of equipment where it’s needed and a shortfall in testing mean that the country might “end up with the worst outbreak in the industrialized world”, says epidemiologist Seth Berkley, who heads Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. The Atlantic takes a scathing look at what it will take for the country to overcome the pandemic — and thrive afterwards. (The Atlantic | 22 min read) Lives depend on decisions that are made on the basis of the predictions of mathematical models. Looking at the differing responses of the Netherlands, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom, Science explores the influence and limitations of COVID-19 models. (Science | 9 min read) Read the latest coronavirus news, continuously updated on Nature.