The coronavirus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship confirmed its first death case for coronavirus (COVID-19) after two former passengers, both in their 80’s, have died, the Japanese Government announced today (20 February).
The deceased passengers were an 87-year-old man who had bronchial asthma and an 84-year-old woman with no pre-existing conditions. They disembarked from the ship on 11 and 12 February before being treated in hospital, NHK reported.
According to the Health Ministry, the woman was given an HIV drug during her treatment, while the man was treated with a combination of HIV and influenza medication, Kyodo News reported.
Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said the pair were sent to medical facilities when they showed symptoms, adding that he believes that they received the best possible treatment, AFP reported.
Meanwhile, about 29 passengers from the cruise ship – mostly in their 40s to 80s – are in a critical condition. Of those, 28 passengers have been tested positive with the virus, including the two who died.
There are 621 passengers on the Diamond Princess liner that have been tested positive with the coronavirus, and were quarantined since 3 February.
Previously, the cruise ship arrived off the Japanese coast in early February with more than 3,700 passengers and crew members from more than 50 countries and regions.
About 443 passengers have left the vessel on 19 February after being tested negative for the coronavirus and showed no symptoms during the 14-days quarantine period.
However, the ministry could not confirm how many people are still on board, or when the disembarkation process will complete.
The government also released a document from the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), which stated “clear evidence that substantial transmission of COVID-19 had been occurring prior to implementation of quarantine on Diamond Princess.”
“Due to the nature of the ship, individual isolation of all those aboard was not possible. Sharing of cabins was necessary, and some crew had to continue to perform essential duties for the functioning of the vessel,” NIID stated.
Japan has a total of 91 confirmed cases of coronavirus and one death case so far, excluding the number of cases on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.
