PROBLEM:

While there have been virus\sickness outbreaks onboard cruise ships before and your staff has been trained on how to deal sickness amongst crew and passenger, the Coronavirus introduces additional concerns and complications associated with it. This causes the need for an advanced plan to be implemented. Your plan should address the following and more: Monitor passenger’s regularly throughout their cruise, identify passenger/crew members that show signs of illness, remove suspected passengers away from general population for testing, monitoring, quarantine and treat ill passengers, communicate with appropriate authorities and chain of command to assure containment and minimize impact.   

DETECTION:

Identifying sick passengers and correctly diagnosing symptoms is a challenge for your crew members. Several ailments have similar symptoms.

While a FLIR Thermal Image Camera can’t detect a virus, using thermal image cameras can identify individuals with Elevated Body Temperature (EBT), staff can be more discrete, efficient, and effective in identifying individuals that need further screening with medical test equipment or virus-specific tests.

While it may not be feasible to perform a physical medical test on each guest prior to departing and regularly test each passenger throughout your journey, the use of FLIR thermal image cameras can help you proactively monitor your guests to get an early jump and hopefully mitigate any outbreak by checking passengers and crew for Elevated Body Temperature (EBT). A procedure to check guest’s temperature can be put in place with FLIR technology without the need for physical contact. Anyone with an EBT should be screened with other medical test equipment or virus-specific tests.

Let’s discuss how and why we implement a process like this to intercept any potential infected passengers as early as possible.

The symptom of coronavirus elevated temperature can be checked with a FLIR camera without contacting a guest or crewmember. This is exactly what is being done airports, train terminals, businesses, factories, and concerts—as an effective tool to measure skin surface temperature and identify individuals with EBT.

Airports in particular are actively employing FLIR thermal cameras as part of their screening measures for passengers and flight crews. The screening procedures implemented at airports and in other public places are just the first step when it comes to detecting a possible infection: it’s a quick way to screen for anyone who might be sick, and must always be followed up with further screening before authorities decide to quarantine a person.

What FLIR cameras are used for thermal screening?

While governments outside the United States may choose from many different cameras, FLIR has a 510(k) filing (K033967) with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for select camera models for use as non-contact screening tools to detect differences in skin surface temperatures.

These cameras include the FLIR Exx-Series, FLIR T-Series, and Extech IR200. Models T540, T530, T620, T640, T840, T860, T1029, T1040, A655sc, E75, E85, E95, A310, A615 or IR200.

The thermal camera must be able to image the inner corner (tear duct) of the eye when screening for EBT. Have subjects remove glasses or any other eye obstructions before screening.

On the advanced thermal image models listed below (under more details), the alarm will trigger when the measurement box measures a temperature higher than the alarm temperature. The alarm temperature is, in turn, the sum of a specified allowed deviation and a sampled average value.

Consider your entry points onboard a vessel.  You will have one or two gangways open when in port plus cargo delivery at some points.  You will need a camera (or more) at each entry point to screen crew and passengers boarding your vessel.

Considering the daily flow of your guests; so it makes sense if you can control the flow into your dining spaces, you can run each guest though a quick screen.  You can’t choke off the flow of guest and make them wait in long lines so you may need multiple cameras covering all entry points.

Look at your Lido deck.  You probably have two entrances aft and three entrances from mid ship into this space (port, starboard and stairwell\elevator). If you can contain the flow of guests through these 5 entrances only, then you would need 5 cameras minimum (1 per entrance) plus backup in the event of any equipment failure.

Look at your formal dining room. You have two main entrances you bring guests through.  Have the maître D’ greet the guest and have a camera on a tripod scanning each guest prior to being handed off for seating.  This may slightly extend seating times so working on efficiency with attention to accuracy is a fine balance.  Most dining rooms are multistory so you may have multiple entrances into this space to cover (Let’s say you have 2 entrances into this space to cover so you would need 2 cameras minimum).

To cover the dining space, you would need 7 cameras plus a camera or two as hot spares in the event a camera stops working (8 to 10 cameras plus tripod for each for this approach).

When in port you can reassign cameras from the dining space to cover the gangways.

You can take each guests temperature as they get on and off the vessel just like you currently check their identification card and you can scan guests as they enter your dining spaces. This will give you several chances to check each guest throughout the cruise with minimal invasion. The quicker you can detect a possible issue, the quicker you can put your plan into action to protect.

This approach will be something your customers will see as an added security measure implemented to detect and control any illness outbreak onboard your vessel.

FLIR will assist with building training material for your staff and/or conduct webinars to train your staff for fleet wide deployments.

For more information about ordering FLIR cameras for temperature screening purposes, please contact TEAM Equipment, Inc. +1 800.367.9054.

More Details:

There are several models to choose from, but keep in mind you get what you pay for.  Base model IP thermometer’s or low res inaccurate thermal imagers may be inexpensive but do not provide accuracy and alarm notification if threshold levels are exceeded. For this reason, FLIR recommends the T540, T530, T620, T640, T840, T860, T1029, T1040, A655sc, E75, E85, E95, A310, A615 or the IR200.  The Extech IR200 is an IR-Thermometer that was previously discontinued.  FLIR has put the IR200 back into production if necessary but will require a minimum order of 100 units per order. Contact Team Equipment Inc. in Florida for quotes or orders of any of these cameras.

In light of the global outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19), which is now officially a pandemic, society is deeply concerned about the spread of infection and seeking tools to help slow and ultimately stop the spread of the virus.  Although no thermal cameras can detect or diagnose the coronavirus, FLIR cameras have a long history of detecting EBT in high-traffic public places through quick individual screening.

If the temperature of the skin in key areas (especially the corner of the eye and forehead) is above average temperature, then the individual may be selected for additional screening. Identifying individuals with EBT, who then can be further screened with virus-specific diagnostic tests, can help reduce or dramatically slow the spread of viruses and infections.

Using thermal cameras, officials can be more discrete, efficient, and effective in identifying individuals that need further screening with virus-specific tests. A variety of institutions, including transportation agencies, businesses, factories, and first responders are using thermal screening as an EBT detection method and as part of employee health and screening (EH&S).

Airports in particular are actively employing FLIR thermal cameras as part of their screening measures for passengers and flight crews. The screening procedures implemented at airports and in other public places are just the first step when it comes to detecting a possible infection: it’s a quick way to screen for anyone who might be sick, and must always be followed up with further screening before authorities decide to quarantine a person.

For more information about ordering FLIR cameras for temperature screening purposes, please call +1 800.367.9054.

FLIR Thermal Cameras Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Can FLIR products be used to detect the coronavirus?

No, thermal imaging cameras cannot be used to detect for or diagnose an infection. However, FLIR thermal cameras are being today used in public spaces – such as airports, train terminals, and concerts – as an effective tool to measure skin surface temperature and identify individuals with Elevated Body Temperature (EBT). Used at points of entry including airports and buildings, FLIR thermal cameras enable the screening of people with EBT that might indicate illness. People who are indemnified with EBT must then be screened medical professionals for diagnosis of any medical condition.

Q: How does thermal imaging technology work in detecting Elevated Body Temperature (EBT) screening?

FLIR thermal cameras detect heat radiation and can be used to identify the surface temperature of objects and people. With this capability, FLIR thermal cameras are commonly used as a non-contact screening tool to detect differences in skin surface temperatures and pattern changes. In fact, FLIR has received US FDA approval for using a variety of its thermal products to screen high traffic public places like airports, train stations and subway stations.

Q: How should operators use thermal cameras for EBT screening location?

• FLIR handheld cameras mounted on tripods or FLIR fixed-mounted cameras, positioned at building or port entrances, can be used as a non-contact screening tool to detect differences in skin surface temperatures.
• Camera operators screen people one at a time and look for temperature anomalies. Operators should measure temperature in the corner of the eye as this location provides the most accurate reading on the human body.
• FLIR’s EBT cameras “see” or detect the temperature differences with temperature measurements between -20 C to +2000 C (-4 F to +3632 F).
• A camera operator who detects elevated temperature in a person being screened should request that such individual be screened using additional medical devices.

Q: Explain the Screening mode available in the FLIR FDA-certified cameras?

Certain FLIR cameras include a screening mode that provides an alarm when an object or person is detected to have an elevated temperature. Activating the screening mode will turn on a measurement box and screening data on the camera’s screen:

• The sampled average temperature.
• The alarm temperature.
• The measured temperature.

Q: What cameras do you sell for this use?

All thermal cameras in this list are certified by the US Food and Drug Administration for Elevated Body Temperature Screening.