4th Person from virus-hit cruise ship dies

February 26, 2020

Tokyo--A former Japanese passenger in his 80s of the coronavirus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship died of pneumonia Tuesday, Japan's health ministry said.

This is the fourth death among those who were on the British-flagged ship, quarantined for the virus at the port of Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo.

According to the ministry, the man was confirmed to have the coronavirus Feb. 10. The Tokyo resident, who had diabetes, was treated with a ventilator.

On Thursday, two former Japanese passengers of the ship, a man and a woman in their 80s, died after being infected with the COVID-19 virus.

On Sunday, another Japanese man in his 80s who had been aboard the ship died. The health ministry confirmed he had been infected.

The ministry also said that 28 of the 983 passengers who left the ship after testing negative for the virus are reporting symptoms such as fever.

Seven of the 28 have been advised to visit medical institutions, including a woman in her 60s in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo, who has tested positive.

In Tokushima Prefecture, a former Diamond Princess passenger in her 60 was found infected after her disembarkation Thursday. She is the second case who tested positive after getting off following a 14-day quarantine on the ship.

Her case is also the first one reported in the Shikoku western Japan region, which includes Tokushima. Jiji Press