Published 10:59 IST, February 16th 2020
US woman from cruise ship docked in Cambodia tests positive for coronavirus
An 83-year-old US woman, who had been a passenger on a cruise ship that docked in Cambodia has tested positive for the new deadly coronavirus in Malaysia.
An 83-year-old US woman, who had been a passenger on a cruise ship that docked in Cambodia has tested positive for the new deadly coronavirus in Malaysia, according to the reports on February 15. The woman jetted off to Malaysia on Friday from Cambodia along with 144 other passengers from the ship, as per the Malaysian Health Ministry. It said that the woman's husband has tested negative. The MS Westerdam, operated by Carnival Corp unit Holland America Inc, was docked in the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville on Thursday after being cautioned by five countries fearing that passengers could be carrying the virus.
Cruise ship carried 1,455 passengers
The cruise ship was carrying 1,455 passengers and 802 crew members, as per the reports. The passengers were examined regularly aboard the ship and Cambodia also tested 20 once it docked. None showed any symptoms of the new coronavirus.
China has confirmed more new cases of deadly coronavirus outbreak on February 15, according to the reports. The passengers on a cruise ship blocked from five countries due to virus fears finally deboarded the ship in Cambodia. China’s National Health Commission said it had recorded 121 new deaths and 5,090 new coronavirus cases on the mainland on February 13, taking the total infected tally to 69,266 people.
1,669 died in China
Nearly 55,748 people are presently undergoing treatment at various hospitals across the country and 1,669 people have died from the novel coronavirus outbreak that has emerged in Hubei province’s capital, Wuhan, in December. The hard-hit Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak, has reported 116 new fatalities and reported 4,823 new confirmed cases on Thursday, the provincial health commission said. The latest report brought the total confirmed cases in Hubei province to 51,986, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The World Health Organisation on Thursday said a sharp rise of 254 cases of COVID-19 (official name for coronavirus) cases in China, due to a change in counting methods, did not represent a big shift in the epidemic.
Updated 10:59 IST, February 16th 2020