Another 95 infection cases, including 88 on ship, confirmed in Japan

Feb 19, 2020 | News On Japan

Feb 19, 2020 (NHK) - Japanese authorities say nearly 100 people were confirmed on Tuesday to be infected with the new coronavirus, including one person under the age of 20.

Three men in Tokyo are among the new cases.

Two of them are in serious condition.

Three other infections were reported in the western prefecture of Wakayama. Most of the cases there have some link to a local hospital.

The youngest of the new cases is the son of an infected doctor.

And a man in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, has also tested positive.

The other 88 new cases are people aboard the quarantined cruise ship that's currently docked near Tokyo.

That brings the total number of cases from the ship to 542, and the total number across all of Japan to 615.

Health ministry officials say among the people who were recently confirmed to be infected. 65 are not exhibiting any symptoms.

The Diamond Princess had around 3,700 passengers and crew on board when it was quarantined earlier this month. The cruise ship is the largest hot spot for coronavirus infections outside mainland China.

The two-week quarantine period for those still aboard ends on Wednesday.

Passengers will be able to leave the ship... if they test negative for the virus.

A Japanese passenger says waiting for the results is making him anxious.

He said, "I hear that results are often different between partners. If one of us tests positive, either my wife or I will be hospitalized. And the other will be put under surveillance for another 14 days. That would be a real problem.

Meanwhile, several countries and territories are pushing forward with plans to bring their citizens home.

A South Korean presidential plane landed in Tokyo on Tuesday.

The governments of Hong Kong and Australia also plan to bring back their citizens as early as Wednesday.

The US brought back home 330 of its citizens on two chartered flights on Monday.

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