Clinical characteristics of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak on a cruise ship

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Yukihiro Yoshimura1, Hiroaki Sasaki1, Hiroshi Horiuchi1

  • 1Department of Infectious Disease, Yokohama Municipal Citizen's Hospital, Japan.

Journal of Infection and Chemotherapy : Official Journal of the Japan Society of Chemotherapy
|June 23, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients from the Diamond Princess cruise ship outbreak revealed common symptoms like cough and fever. Elevated C-reactive protein and specific CT scan findings were noted, with critical cases experiencing severe outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Epidemiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • A significant COVID-19 outbreak occurred on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in February 2020.
  • Limited data exists on the clinical profiles of these affected individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the clinical characteristics of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 during the Diamond Princess cruise ship outbreak.
  • To identify key symptoms, diagnostic findings, and outcomes in this specific patient cohort.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective, observational study conducted at a single center in Yokohama, Japan.
  • Inclusion of symptomatic patients confirmed positive for SARS-CoV-2 via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) between February 5-19, 2020.
  • Analysis of clinical symptoms, laboratory markers (CRP), and chest computed tomography (CT) findings.

Main Results:

  • Seventeen confirmed cases with an average age of 69 years.
  • Predominant symptoms included cough and fever; 11 patients had pre-existing chronic diseases.
  • Chest CT revealed bilateral ground-glass opacities, particularly in peripheral lung areas.
  • Higher C-reactive protein (CRP) levels correlated with severe disease; one critical case resulted in death.

Conclusions:

  • Key clinical indicators for COVID-19 in this cohort were cough, fever, elevated CRP, and peripheral bilateral ground-glass opacities on CT scans.
  • These findings align with previous reports on COVID-19 clinical presentations.
  • The study highlights the specific clinical picture of COVID-19 in a cruise ship setting.
Abstract

Keywords:
COVID-19Coronavirus infectionCruise

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