A SARS-CoV-2 Omicron outbreak among crew members on a cruise ship in Germany in early 2022

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreaks on cruise shipshave rarely been investigated. In early 2022, we were informed about a SARS-CoV-2 outbreak on a cruiseship calling Port of Hamburg after 10 infections among crew members were detected. We conducted anoutbreak investigation in collaboration between ship owners, the ship physician and Hamburg’s Institutefor Hygiene and Environment, to identify risk factors and to achieve containment. The aim was to identifyrisk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection and SARS-CoV-2 variants in a cohort of 165 crew members.Materials and methods: For this purpose, we collected data on age, sex, nationality, boarding-time, cabin use(single/shared), work place, and vaccination status of the study participants. Cases were defined as individualswho tested SARS-CoV-2 positive at least once in daily screenings during the outbreak period (10 days)by polymerase chain reaction or antigen test. We investigated risk factors for infection by descriptive, univariableand multivariable analysis. We performed whole genome sequencing to identify SARS-CoV-2 variants.Results: We verified 103 SARS-CoV-2 positive cases (attack rate [AR] 62.4%); 39/41 sequenced sampleswere BA.2.3 Omicron subtype, one BA.1 and one BA.1.1. Among boostered crew members, AR was 38%vs. 65% among those vaccinated once or twice. Among those who stayed < 30 days on board, AR was31% vs. 72% among those staying on board longer. Among Europeans, the AR was 53% vs. 71% in non--Europeans. Adjusting for age and sex, cases were more likely to have received no booster vaccine (oddsratio [OR]: 2.66, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.99–7.13), to have spent more time on board (≥ 30 days,OR: 6.36, 95% CI: 2.81–14.40 vs. < 30 days) and to have a non-European nationality (OR: 2.14, 95% CI:1.08–4.27). The outbreak stopped shortly after offboard isolation of cases.Conclusions: This investigation confirms the importance of a booster vaccine against COVID-19. Longerstays onboard could facilitate social mixing. Further studies could investigate the impact of social, cultural/behavioural patterns and public health access on the infection risk. Physical distancing together withscreening and isolation can contain SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks on cruise ships

Occupational Health on Merchant Ships during COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic burdened the working and living conditions of seafaring personnel with particular challenges. The present study investigated the health and occupational burden of 301 multinational seafarers from merchant ships using self-administered questionnaires. The survey was carried out between September and November 2021 on the occasion of SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations at the Port of Hamburg, Germany. Participants generally reported good physical and mental health status while general burden perception increased compared to pre-pandemic levels. Three-quarters of seafarers reported experiencing shore-leave denial at least once throughout the pandemic. In summary, the study reveals the substantial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the perceived occupational burden of seafaring personnel

Mass Casualty Incident in the Port of Hamburg—Large-Scale Exercise during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Within the framework of the interdisciplinary research project ARMIHN (Adaptive Resilience Management in the Port) a two-day large-scale exercise took place in the Port of Hamburg in October 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the exercise could not be realized as a full-scale exercise with a large number of participants and actors as originally planned. Therefore, a hybrid exercise concept with virtual and live parts was developed. The project ARMIHN has shown that the planning, organization, and implementation of a hybrid large-scale exercise is demanding, resource- and time-intensive. On the other hand, the project showed the possibility for exercises to be conducted even when underlying conditions like the COVID-19 pandemic do not support a full-scale exercise in presence