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Read about the effect of coronavirus (Covid-19) on cruise ships.


5 March updateAuthorities amend total cases count

Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has amended the total confirmed cases on the Diamond Princess cruise ship to be 696.

It added that people who tested positive after disembarkation have not been included in the total number.


The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has confirmed on 26 February that the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases on the Diamond Princess has increased to 705.

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On 23 February, the total number of Covid-19 cases was 691, with 55 confirmed from 819 samples that were collected between on 19-21 February.

On 22-25 February, the ministry collected 167 additional samples to carry out polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests to determine if the passengers were infected.

Nine out of 94 crew members tested positive, while five passengers tested positive as results from 73 samples indicate.

The ministry has tested 4,061 people so far, of which 705 were positive, including 392 people who were asymptomatic.

On 25 February, a fourth passenger on the cruise ship has died. All four passengers were in their 80s.

The ministry announced that 12 asymptomatic pathogen carriers, including foreigners on the ship, would be transferred to the Fujita Medical University, as requested by the Japanese Government.

The announcement came as the ship was undergoing a new coronavirus inspection on 23-24 February. The Fujita Medical University is scheduled to open on 1 April.

A new coronavirus test would be conducted if necessary and the test results would be reported later.

The US, UK, Hong Kong, Canada, Australia, the Philippines and India have evacuated their citizens from the cruise ship.

The evacuated nationals tested negative when they boarded the flights back, while the citizens who tested negative will receive treatment in Japan.

The epidemic has so far killed over 2,800 and infected more than 82,000 people around the world. Japan has reported 189 cases with two deaths, excluding cases on the ship.