- Two passengers who were aboard the Diamond Princess during the coronavirus quarantine have died from the disease, a Japanese health ministry official said Thursday.
- The passengers - an 87-year-old man and an 84-year-old woman - were both Japanese nationals.
- They were taken to local hospitals on February 11 and 12, respectively, the Japanese broadcaster NHK reported. Both had underlying health issues.
- The cruise ship, which is docked in Yokohama, Japan, was subject to a two-week quarantine imposed the Japanese government, which drew criticism from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) after more than 600 people were infected with the coronavirus.
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Two passengers who were quarantined on the cruise ship docked in Japan have died from the coronavirus, a Japanese health ministry official said on Thursday local time.
They are the first reported deaths that have resulted from the Diamond Princess cruise ship outbreak.
The passengers - a 87-year-old man and an 84-year-old woman - were both Japanese nationals, The New York Times reported, citing the Japanese broadcaster NHK. The two passengers were taken to local hospitals on February 11 and 12, and had underlying health issues.
Hundreds of passengers were trapped on the ship after Japanese authorities imposed a two-week quarantine. During the quarantine there was an uptick of cases on the ship, with more than 620 people testing positive for the coronavirus, known formally as CO VID-19, SkyNews reported.
The deaths came amid initial groups of passengers disembarking from the ship this week. Nearly 400 Americans were evacuated from the ship and flown back to the US at the end of last week.
The novel coronavirus outbreak, which began late last year, originated in the city of Wuhan in the Chinese province of Hubei. The coronavirus death toll has surpassed 2,100, with over 75,000 people infected across more then two dozen countries.
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