14 American Citizens on a Quarantined Cruise Ship in Japan Test Positive for Coronavirus

At least 14 Americans that were on board the quarantined cruise ship Diamond Princess were tested positive for the coronavirus, reports NBC news. 

They are among the 3,700 passengers that have, unfortunately, been quarantined and are obligated to stay aboard the ship for 14 days.

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The coronavirus has now been confirmed to be transmitted through both direct contact and through the air, and since The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that the outbreak is an emergency in China, such a dramatic measure to quarantine the entire crew of the cruise ship was a must, as all passengers carry the risk of being infected.

The quarantined ship now carries a total of 64 confirmed cases of people infected with the coronavirus. And with the total tally of deaths reaching over 800, thus surpassing the entire SARS total death count, the situation seems to be getting worse.

According to ABC7 news, the Japanese government has equipped the quarantined cruise ship with medical professionals and 7,000 protective masks. And, based on the information we have at our disposal at the moment, the quarantine end date is February 19th.

The latest updates suggest that there are 37,612 people infected with the coronavirus, 6,198 of them being in critical condition. 815 people have died of infection, and 2,990 have successfully recovered.