Sunday, February 09, 2020

Japan MOH: 6 More Passengers Aboard Cruise Ship Positive For Novel Coronavirus


Credit Wikipedia

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While Hong Kong's cruise ship quarantine has been resolved, Japan continues to find infected passengers aboard the Diamond Princess, which is currently quarantined in Yokohama with roughly 3,700 passengers and crew aboard.
Yesterday they added 3 new cases, and today 6 more (out of 57 tested) were found positive for the virus. 
Only about 10% of the passengers and crew have been tested (just those showing symptoms and their close contacts).  At this time, additional tests are only scheduled for those who fall into those categories.

About new coronavirus infectious disease confirmed in cruise ship during quarantine in Yokohama Port (the fifth report)
The cruise ship Diamond Princess, which arrived at Yokohama Port on February 3, is undergoing quarantine at sea, but out of 57 new coronavirus test results, six out of 57 were newly tested. Coronavirus positivity was confirmed.
It is to be transported to a medical institution with an infectious disease ward today.
Positive results were confirmed in 70 of the 336 patients tested.

Some of the people being transported include elderly people and foreign nationals, so it is necessary to take measures that take into account physical conditions and other factors. The press is requested to give special consideration to coverage of this matter.

Quarantine of the cruise ship has been continued. A new coronavirus test is conducted for those who need it, and the results will be announced later.

It isn't clear how Japan's MOH will handle any extensions to the existing 14 day quarantine. Nor do we know if all of these new cases had contact with previously identified cases, or are part of a new chain of infection.
This is obviously a difficult situation for public health, the quarantined passengers and crew, and the cruise line, which will only be further complicated if more cases are identified on board. 
Princess Cruise Lines maintains an update page on the quarantine and the impact on passengers:
Updates on Diamond Princess