US scrambles to evacuate American citizens from coronavirus-infected Wuhan as China death toll climbs to 81 and officials warn the strain is spreading faster than predicted

Daily Mail (UK) ^ | 1/27/2020 | Megan Sheets

[RightGeek]

The US government is rushing to evacuate Americans from the coronavirus-stricken Chinese city of Wuhan as officials warned the deadly strain's spread is picking up speed.

A charter flight is scheduled to fly from the Wuhan Tianhe International Airport to San Francisco International Airport on Tuesday.

The US consulate in Wuhan began reaching out to all Americans registered as living in the city - of which there are said to be roughly 1,000 - last week to offer them a seat on the plane.

The State Department warned that the single flight will have 'limited capacity' to transport private US citizens along with consulate staff, and said 'priority will be given to individuals at greater risk from coronavirus'.

Upon arrival in San Francisco, passengers are expected to be quarantined and screened for the virus which has sickened more than 2,800 people in at least 10 countries - with five confirmed cases in the US.

...

A source familiar with the chartered evacuation flight told CNN that those who choose to evacuate will be forced to pay for their spot on the Boeing 767 jet, which carries around 230 people.

It is understood medical personnel will be on the flight to care for anyone who may have been infected by the virus and prevent it from spreading.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said it is involved in the efforts to help Americans leave Wuhan.

[RightGeek]

Not to be hard hearted but they all need to go into quarantine including the flight crew and the plane needs to be disinfected. As for the ones stuck in Wuhan, shelter in place.

[arthurus]

As the officially announced death total climbs to 81.

[paddles]

They should get a two-week stay on Johnson Atoll.

Interesting place. My Grandfather served there in the late '30s as a CPO in the USN.

[BuffaloJack]

I certainly hope that all American Wuhan refugees are quarantined for several weeks to ensure that they are not bringing pestilence into our country.

[DownInFlames]

Try 90k. Those workers building a hospital by Feb 3, are actually preparing mass graves.

[miss marmelstein]

And so many people like how cheaply you can live in China. I’ve even heard that on FR.

[proust]

55 million locked down over 81 deaths. 🤔

[gridlock]

So we are going to walk the people off this airplane into SFO? This seems like a bad idea.

If these people are to be brought to the US, they should be flown to an isolated military base, deplaned on the tarmac and go straight to isolation. I think they would jump at the chance, even if it means spending a couple of weeks living in a tent out at Edwards AFB under constant medical supervision.

We should not permit the usual failure-by-incompetence model to function, here. I don’t want to be reading next year about how the US Patient Zero failed to show up for a follow-up appointment.

[Black Agnes]

That would be a GREAT place to spend a cpl weeks in Jan/Feb.

Sun sun and more sun.

And warm too.

[Zhang Fei]

[If these people are to be brought to the US, they should be flown to an isolated military base, deplaned on the tarmac and go straight to isolation. ]

---

The Aleutians come to mind:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleutian_Islands#Economy

Less than 1 person per square mile. Plenty of elbow room.

[mikey_hates_everything]

This news will go over well when it gets out in Wuhan.

[setter]

“Try 90k. Those workers building a hospital by Feb 3, are actually preparing mass graves.”

Have you seen the latest pics? It’s clearly a hospital.

Why would they bury infected bodies smack dab in the center of the city?

[mikey_hates_everything]

55 million locked down over 81 deaths. 🤔

Makes the rumor of 90000 dead sound reasonable.

[null and void]

Will the evacuees be given every opportunity to spread the disease here?

Flights to land at crowded international terminals?

Passengers and crew to walk through those crowded terminals before even a cursory health screening?

No quarantine whatsoever?

Dumped on the street in scores of major cities with merely an admonishment to call us during regular business hours should they get sick?

No demeaning face masks, etc.?

Bring Out Your Dead

Post to me or FReep mail to be on/off the Bring Out Your Dead ping list.

The purpose of the “Bring Out Your Dead” ping list (formerly the “Ebola” ping list) is very early warning of emerging pandemics, as such it has a high false positive rate.

So far the false positive rate is 100%.

At some point we may well have a high mortality pandemic, and likely as not the “Bring Out Your Dead” threads will miss the beginning entirely.

*sigh* Such is life, and death...

If a quarantine saves just one child's life, it's worth it.

[Black Agnes]

Kaci Hickox’s lawyer is probably already printing up business cards.

[mikey_hates_everything]

Can you tell the difference between a hospital and a crematorium under construction? I can’t but I could see that happening if it was that bad. Bodies would not be leaving the city and yes, I’m sure they wouldn’t bury them there.

[Ozymandias Ghost]

From the article:

“Upon arrival in San Francisco, passengers are expected to be quarantined and screened for the virus...”

[DownInFlames]

Whoops, forgot the /s.

[AlaskaErik]

So they found a crew willing to take an airplane to ground zero?!

[gandalftb]

Fever screening is clinical insanity.
...........
Trying to pick out real corona patients from common winter illnesses.
..............
There is no rapid and accurate diagnostic test.
.............
The Chinese are driving non-corona patients to clinics where they are packed in with actual corona patients.
...........
In the US, possible patients are sent home with orders to stay out of the public until symptoms expand and obsolete SARS testing shows a corona virus.
...........
The Chinese mean well, but communist control type thinking is going to cause a faster infection rate.