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43 more coronavirus cases found among cruise ship crew in Nagasaki

Apr 25 (Kyodo) - An additional 43 crew members on an Italian cruise ship docked for repairs in Nagasaki, southwestern Japan, have tested positive for coronavirus, the Nagasaki prefectural government said Friday, bringing the total number of infections to 91.

Testing is still under way for all 623 crew members, including one Japanese translator, on the Costa Atlantica, docked at a plant of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. in the city of Nagasaki.

By Thursday, 127 crew members had been tested with 48 proving positive.

On Friday, the prefecture said the number of tests had increased to 208, with 164 proving negative and one requiring retesting.

One of the crew has been hospitalized at a designated medical facility in the city due to severe symptoms, while the other 622 have stayed on board. There are no passengers on the ship.

The prefectural government has not disclosed the nationalities of those who tested positive for the pneumonia-causing virus.

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