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First Russian passenger of cruise ship in Japan diagnosed with coronavirus

The Russian will be taken to hospital

© Carl Court/Getty Images

TOKYO, February 17. /TASS/. A Russian woman, who is onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined in the Japanese port city of Yokohama, has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the Russian Embassy in Japan said on Monday.

The Russian national underwent medical examination for the new coronavirus (COVID-19) along with other passengers of the vessel. "The Russian will be taken to hospital soon where she will undergo treatment," the diplomatic mission said.

This is the first confirmed coronavirus case among Russians. Earlier on Monday, Japanese doctors reported 99 new coronavirus cases onboard the cruise ship, bringing the total number of those infected to 454.

Read also

China’s coronavirus death toll reaches 1,770

Some 3,700 people from 50 countries, including Russia, were onboard the cruise ship when it left Yokohama on January 20 and returned on February 3. Among them was a coronavirus-infected Chinese citizen who left the ship on January 25 in Hong Kong. In accordance with the decision made by the Japanese authorities, the ship was anchored near Yokohama and quarantined for two weeks.

Earlier on Monday, some 380 US nationals left the Diamond Princess and were evacuated to a US Air Force base in California.

The Chinese authorities registered an outbreak of the new coronavirus (official name COVID-19) in Wuhan, the capital of the Hubei Province, in late December 2019. Cases of the novel coronavirus were found in 25 other countries and territories, including Russia. The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. According to the latest data, the death toll from coronavirus is nearing 1,800 and more than 71,000 people have been infected. Over 11,000 people have recovered.

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