(Update) 3 Japanese returnees infected with Wuhan coronavirus

January 30, 2020

Tokyo--Three Japanese nationals who returned home Wednesday from Wuhan aboard a government-chartered flight have been found infected with the new coronavirus originating in the Chinese city, the health ministry said Thursday.

Two of the three had no symptoms and were confirmed infected through virus tests. This is the first time that anybody without symptoms has been confirmed infected with the virus in Japan, the ministry said.

As a result, the number of new coronavirus cases in Japan rose to 11.

On Wednesday, 206 Japanese nationals, including the three, arrived from Wuhan aboard the first flight the government dispatched to evacuate Japanese from the epicenter of the outbreak.

The three are among the 12 returnees hospitalized after the arrival. Five of the 12 tested negative for the virus.

Of the three, a Wuhan resident in his 50s has such symptoms as a sore throat and a runny nose. He had a fever of up to 38.7 degrees Celsius.

The other two, a man in his 40s and a woman in her 50s, had no symptoms. They tested positive through examinations conducted just in case at the National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM) in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward.

The two are set to be hospitalized. Among other people who boarded the first flight, 201 tested negative.

Meanwhile, the second chartered flight sent to Wuhan by the government returned to Tokyo International Airport at Haneda on Thursday morning, carrying 210 Japanese nationals.

Thirteen of them were found to be out of shape through medical checks inside the plane. Japanese government sources said some people were told not to take the flight after medical examinations by Chinese authorities.

Those confirmed to have symptoms during medical checks on the plane will be sent to designated medical institutions for specified infectious diseases. Returnees showing no symptoms will also undergo additional medical checks at the NCGM.

After being reexamined, the returnees aboard the second flight will stay at a National Police Academy facility in Fuchu, western Tokyo, and a government training facility in Kita Ward, also Tokyo.

Of the 206 people who returned Wednesday, 191 stayed the night at a hotel in Katsuura, Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo.

Meanwhile, two declined to undergo additional medical checks after the arrival, and one had minor symptoms. The three went home.

The government is asking them to take additional checks and refrain from going out for two weeks when not necessary. Their health conditions will be checked regularly. Jiji Press