Coronavirus: 44 more cases diagnosed on Diamond Princess

Nearly 150 cases of coronavirus have been discovered on board the contaminated cruise ship Diamond Princess this week.

Another 44 people onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the country’s health minister said on Thursday.

Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said the 44 new cases were detected on the luxury ship — berthed in the Japanese port of Yokohama — from another 221 new tests.

They raise the number of infections detected on the Diamond Princess to 218, in addition to a quarantine officer who also tested positive for the virus.

The newest cases come after 39 people, including a further four Australians, were found on yesterday found to have contracted the virus. That brought to 15 the number of Australian passengers with the virus, although it’s not yet known if any of the 44 new cases belong to Australians — a further 208 of whom remain quarantined on board until February 19.

Mr Kato said authorities now wanted to move elderly people off the ship if they tested negative for the virus, offering to put them in government-designated lodging.

“We wish to start the operation from tomorrow or later,” Kato told reporters.

Of the newly diagnosed infections, 43 are passengers and one a member of the crew.

The ship that originally had over 3700 passengers and crew on board has become the largest single cluster of the newly named COVID-19 disease outside its origin in China, where it has killed more than 1300 people.

Melbourne based Clare Hedger, 35, said in a post on Instagram that she hoped passengers would be allowed outside regularly for fresh air.

“It’s hard to grasp any concept of time and it’s impacting our memory, as there is no day or night,” Ms Hedger said.

“I was so sorry to hear there are more than 40 cases and one of them is a quarantine officer. Wishing them all a speedy recovery,” she said.

On Monday authorities revealed those closest to recently identified cases will have to begin their 14-day lockdown on board the ship again. 

#day7 #coronavirus #CoronavirusOutbreak #quarantined on #DiamondPrincess 38 more! 😫😫😫😫😫😫 no more pls 🙏🏻🙏🏻#hanginthereprincess #anxiety

— Yardley Wong (@yardley_wong) February 12, 2020

Those who have tested positive for the new virus have been taken off the ship to medical facilities, but questions have been raised about whether the quarantine on the ship is working, with dozens of new cases diagnosed almost daily.

Another 66 people were diagnosed with coronavirus on the ship on Monday – meaning that this week 149 new cases have been identified on board.

More than 3600 people remain in isolation on the ship, which is just over halfway through a 14-day lockdown.

It is understood any passengers and crew who came in close contact with the latest carriers diagnosed with the coronavirus will need to recommence their 14-day quarantine from scratch, with the World Health Organisation tweeting: “The (quarantine) period will be extended beyond the 19 February as appropriate only for close contacts of newly confirmed cases. They need to remain in quarantine for 14 days from last contact with a confirmed case.”

The Diamond Princess has been under quarantine since February 3 after an 80-year-old Hong Kong man who travelled on it in January fell ill with the virus. 

With Reuters and AFP