Coronavirus tally rises after two more Indians test positive on Diamond Princess

Two more Indian crew members on Diamond Princess have tested positive for coronavirus, taking the total tally of infected Indians on the cruise ship to 14. According to reports, the Indian embassy in Japan on Monday confirmed that samples collected earlier showed two Indian members on the cruise ship testing positive for COVID-19. In a tweet, the Indian embassy hoped that no more Indians will test positive for the deadly virus in results expected to be announced on February 25. 

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Diamond Princess cruise ship that has been anchored off the coast of Japan since early February had over 3,000 people on board when it was quarantined after it emerged that a passenger had tested positive for the virus. The luxury ship has a total of 138 Indians, including 132 crew members on board. Many passengers have been evacuated by their country of origin since the ship was isolated on February 5. 

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Coronavirus outbreak

The new coronavirus also known as COVID-19 has claimed more than 2,600 lives across the globe and has infected more than 79,000 people since December 2019. According to reports, 19 people have died outside mainland China, which makes it the worst disease outbreak in the 21st century. The virus originated from a seafood market in Wuhan city, where animals were being traded illegally. Hubei province in China has been most affected by the contagious disease, which is also the epicentre of the virus. 

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Coronavirus has claimed more lives than its predecessor Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). According to reports, SARS, which broke out in China in 2002-2003 had claimed more than 774 lives, which is way below the current death toll from COVID-19.