6 More on cruise ship test positive for new coronavirus

February 10, 2020

Tokyo--An additional six people on a cruise ship quarantined off Japan have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the health ministry said Sunday, boosting the total number of infected people onboard to 70.

The infection was confirmed in the ministry's latest coronavirus checks covering 57 people. A total of 336 people on the Diamond Princess cruise ship have now undergone such virus checks.

The number of confirmed new coronavirus infection cases across Japan has risen to 96.

According to the ministry, none of the six infected people are in serious condition and they were sent to a medical institution in Tokyo.

One of the six is a female American passenger in her 70s. The other five are crew members--a Ukrainian man in his 20s, three Filipino men in their 40s and a Filipina in her 20s.

The 57 people who underwent coronavirus checks this time included those who have recently developed symptoms and crew members who were lower on the priority list for examination.

About 3,600 people are aboard the cruise ship, with some 80 pct of its passengers aged 60 or older.

As they need to stay in the ship until at least Feb. 19, many passengers have requested medication such as insulin for diabetic treatment. By Sunday, the ministry has supplied medicines of high urgency for about 750 people.

Multiple other people on the ship complain of high fever and other bad health condition, according to the ministry. Jiji Press