Coronavirus: Four Americans on Diamond Princess test positive

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The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention said that the number of the coronavirus (Covid-19) cases in the US increased to 57, including four new Diamond Princess cases.

The confirmed cases include 40 citizens who were evacuated from the ship last week and three people repatriated from Wuhan. The remaining 14 are local cases.

The epidemic has so far killed over 2,750 and infected more than 81,000 people around the world.

On 17 February, two US aircraft, carrying approximately 400 US citizens from Diamond Princess, took off from Tokyo Haneda Airport.

Of the evacuated citizens, 14 passengers tested positive when they boarded the flight back to the US.

The 40 other citizens on the ship who tested positive will continue to receive treatment in Japan and were not permitted to board the flights to the US.

CDC expects the number to increase as test results of the citizens from the Diamond Princess are released.

CDC National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases director Nancy Messonnier said: “We expect we will see community spread in this country.

“It is not so much a question of if this will happen anymore, but rather more a question of exactly when this will happen and how many people in this country will have a severe illness.”

CDC has advised people to consider working remotely.