TOKYO • Two elderly coronavirus-infected passengers from a cruise ship moored near Tokyo have died, the Japanese government said yesterday, as more passengers disembarked after two weeks of quarantine.
The news of the first deaths from the Diamond Princess liner came as a further 13 positive tests were revealed, taking the total number of cases from the vessel to 634 - the biggest cluster outside China, where the outbreak began.
The ship has been quarantined since Feb 5, initially with about 3,700 people on board.
The man and woman, both Japanese and in their 80s, were taken off the cruise ship last week and had died in hospital.
The man had pre-existing bronchial asthma and a history of angina treatment, the health ministry said, but the woman had no known conditions before the infection. The direct cause of her death was pneumonia.
"I pray for their souls and offer condolences to their bereaved families," Health Minister Katsunobu Kato told the MPs.
One health ministry official and another from the Cabinet Secretariat were confirmed to be infected with the virus after both had spent time working on the Diamond Princess. Three officials had previously been infected.
Japanese media reported that 29 people were in serious condition, including one who had earlier tested negative for the virus. Five Singaporeans quarantined aboard the ship remain physically well, The Straits Times understands.
Japan has well over half the known cases outside China due to the ship infections and the virus' rapid spread. The quarantine operation has sparked criticism of the authorities just months before Tokyo is due to host the Olympics.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga defended Japan's efforts.
He told a news conference that after measures were put in place to isolate passengers, the number of new infections is now almost at zero.
Japan's National Institute of Infectious Diseases said in a report issued on Wednesday that no new cases of the coronavirus from the cruise ship were reported on Feb 16 to 17, with only one crew member case on Feb 15.
In a move to reassure the public, the health ministry also issued a statement saying all passengers had been required to stay in their cabins since Feb 5 to contain the virus. The day before, as passengers were being screened, shipboard events continued, including dances and quiz games.
Japan is emerging as one of the riskiest places for the virus' spread, prompting criticism that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government has misfired on its policies to block the outbreak.
The number of infections in Japan has more than doubled in the past week to at least 94, the second-highest among countries outside China that have reported infections, after South Korea.
About 500 passengers began disembarking from the ship yesterday while another 100 people were to leave for chartered flights home.
British passenger Elaine Spencer, who is still on board, told ST yesterday that she and her husband were tested for the virus for the first time on Sunday and have yet to receive their results.
Mrs Spencer, 54, said that it was upsetting to learn of the death of two fellow passengers.
"We have had no new news about positive cases for about a week, only what we hear or read online," said the health and social care trainer who had joined the cruise in Singapore on Jan 6.
Countries including the United States and Australia have already evacuated their citizens from the ship, while Britain announced on Tuesday that it would also be organising a flight for British passengers.
Mrs Spencer said she and her husband are scheduled to fly home tonight.
REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, BLOOMBERG
- Additional reporting by Tiffany Fumiko Tay
