Another great article... Thanks very much! Two thoughts:
1. It's a bit weird to see so many people of varying stripes lately getting out of their trees over what very likely is a non-pandemic, little mutating (albeit narrowly serious) disease... when, as you correctly point out at the end, many thousands of Americans are already and still dying annually from COVID (almost 5,000 thus far in 2026 alone, per the CDC's data). And that fact continues to get almost no ongoing public attention or acknowledgement.
2. When I see the notion of "self-quarantine" as a control measure for hantavirus risk cases, I get kind of queasy.... If anything, the COVID pandemic markedly increased the share of the strident folks for whom "me and my needs" are the sole consideration, and how their actions impact the surrounding community is of little to no concern. I'll be waiting to see the forthcoming photos of some self-home-quarantined risk patient out at their local pub or Olive Garden for all you can eat pasta night..... :-(
I admit that I don’t love the self-quarantine option but I don’t know that anyone has actually taken it. Fundamentally, it makes sense for people to stay in the biocontainment units for the duration of the quarantine period because it also puts them closest to medical care in the event that symptoms develop.
People to begin leaving hospital after hantavirus isolation
13 May 2026
"People evacuated from a cruise ship after a hantavirus outbreak are set to start leaving a Merseyside hospital where they have been isolating since returning to the UK.
"The passengers and crew who were on board the MV Hondius will have spent 72 hours isolating at Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral and will be expected to isolate for another 42 days at home.
...
While 22 people will be eligible to leave Arrowe Park Hospital, it is understood not all will do so because their homes are deemed unsuitable because they live with other people or in blocks of flats...."
Personally, in this instance, the biocontainment approach makes obvious sense for confirmed positive cases. For risk only cases, I'd think normal hospital isolation, negative pressure rooms would suffice along with normal isolation policies. But just relying on home quarantine with the promise to check in daily seems a bit risky given the range of human behaviors that could occur.
Another great article... Thanks very much! Two thoughts:
1. It's a bit weird to see so many people of varying stripes lately getting out of their trees over what very likely is a non-pandemic, little mutating (albeit narrowly serious) disease... when, as you correctly point out at the end, many thousands of Americans are already and still dying annually from COVID (almost 5,000 thus far in 2026 alone, per the CDC's data). And that fact continues to get almost no ongoing public attention or acknowledgement.
2. When I see the notion of "self-quarantine" as a control measure for hantavirus risk cases, I get kind of queasy.... If anything, the COVID pandemic markedly increased the share of the strident folks for whom "me and my needs" are the sole consideration, and how their actions impact the surrounding community is of little to no concern. I'll be waiting to see the forthcoming photos of some self-home-quarantined risk patient out at their local pub or Olive Garden for all you can eat pasta night..... :-(
I admit that I don’t love the self-quarantine option but I don’t know that anyone has actually taken it. Fundamentally, it makes sense for people to stay in the biocontainment units for the duration of the quarantine period because it also puts them closest to medical care in the event that symptoms develop.
Per BBC today:
People to begin leaving hospital after hantavirus isolation
13 May 2026
"People evacuated from a cruise ship after a hantavirus outbreak are set to start leaving a Merseyside hospital where they have been isolating since returning to the UK.
"The passengers and crew who were on board the MV Hondius will have spent 72 hours isolating at Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral and will be expected to isolate for another 42 days at home.
...
While 22 people will be eligible to leave Arrowe Park Hospital, it is understood not all will do so because their homes are deemed unsuitable because they live with other people or in blocks of flats...."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyp4nk09k1o
Personally, in this instance, the biocontainment approach makes obvious sense for confirmed positive cases. For risk only cases, I'd think normal hospital isolation, negative pressure rooms would suffice along with normal isolation policies. But just relying on home quarantine with the promise to check in daily seems a bit risky given the range of human behaviors that could occur.