Coronavirus hit cruise ship Diamond Princess in Japan reports 67 new cases

Japan has reported another 67 cases of people being infected from Coronavirus on quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship. According to media reports, Japan's Health Minister Katsunobu Kato on Saturday confirmed the latest numbers coming in from the isolated ship off the coast of Japan.

The United States had earlier issued a statement that it would send an aircraft to bring back US citizens stuck on the quarantined ship. As per reports, the most number of Coronavirus cases have occurred on the ship outside the epicentre in China. 

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The Diamond Princess ship has been quarantined for more than a week now and over 250 people have been diagnosed with the virus, which has now been named COVID-19. According to reports, there are almost 3,000 people on board of the ship which include more than 400 American citizens.

Many Americans on board have criticised their country's decision to send a plane to evacuate passengers as they fear that it could spread once they leave the ship. The ship's quarantine period is set to end on February 19. 

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Coronavirus outbreak

The virus has claimed more lives than its predecessor Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) that broke out in China in 2002-2003 and claimed more than 774 lives. According to reports, China on Thursday reported the highest number of deaths caused by the virus in a single day as 254 people died in Hubei province. 

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As per reports, the COVID-19 has claimed more than 1,500 lives in China alone and over 66,000 new cases have been confirmed in the country as of February 13.

US' Center for Disease Control (CDC) has said that the virus has already spread to 27 countries, including Japan, which reported its first fatality. Media reports had earlier suggested that the virus originated from a seafood market in China's Hubei province, where animals were being traded illegally. So far, the most number of deaths have been reported from Wuhan city, the believed epicentre of the disease. 

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