44 additional passengers aboard the Diamond Princess have tested positive for the coronavirus as of Wednesday evening, bringing the total outbreak onboard to 218 people infected.
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On Wednesday, Feb. 12, the ship had pulled into port at an isolated dock in Yokohama, Japan, where dozens of ambulances, military trucks and other emergency vehicles were waiting outside the ship to remove each of the new diagnosed passengers.
The ship has a population of 3,766 passengers and crew quarantined for 14 days. The remaining passengers and crew are self-testing with individual thermometers a minimum of three times per day. Anyone showing a temperature above 37.5 degrees Celsius or 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit must immediately report to the ship’s hospital.
Following previous Japanese health protocols, the new patients are being sent to various Yokohama hospitals.
See Related: Santa Clarita Residents Share First-Hand Account Of Quarantine On Diamond Princess Cruise Ship Due To Coronavirus
On Tuesday, Feb. 4, the first phase of health screening of all guests and crew onboard Diamond Princess by the Japanese Ministry of Health was completed, according to a statement from Princess Cruises.
As of Friday, Feb. 7, the number grew from the initially reported 10 cases of coronavirus to at least 61, according to Princess officials.
A passenger from Hong Kong boarded the Diamond Princess in Japan on Jan. 20, leaving the cruise five days later.
After disembarking from the cruise line in Hong Kong, the passenger began to present symptoms and sought out medical attention.
On Feb. 1, the passenger was officially diagnosed with the coronavirus.
After arriving in Yokohama, Japan, public health authorities boarded Princess Cruises and screened all the 2,333 passengers and 1,100 crew, according to the cruise line.
After testing, health officials initially discovered ten patients who tested positive for the novel coronavirus. They were sent in ambulances to hospitals in Yokohama. The ship was placed on a 14-day quarantine, not allowing passengers to leave their cabins.
“It has been confirmed that the ship will remain under quarantine in Yokohama. The length of the quarantine will be at least 14 days as required by the Ministry of Health,” Princess officials said in a statement on Feb. 5.
See Related: Santa Clarita Residents Share First-Hand Experience Of Coronavirus Quarantine On Diamond Princess: Part Two
After the initial announcement of 10 coronavirus cases on the Diamond Princess, an additional 10 cases were reported on Feb. 5, as Japanese public health officials continued to screen passengers and crew. They too were sent to hospitals in Yokohama.
Later that same day, an additional 41 people were determined to have the virus, bringing the Wednesday, Feb. 5 total to 61, plus the passenger who left the ship in Hong Kong.
The passengers aboard the ship who have been diagnosed with the coronavirus have been taken by the Japanese Coast Guard to receive medical attention on-shore, according to Princess officials. Later in the week, once the ship was allowed to dock in a sealed-off port, the additional patients were sent to Yokohama hospitals by ambulance.
The 218 passengers aboard the Diamond Princess diagnosed with coronavirus were residents from around the globe, with at least 34 confirmed cases involving United States residents, according to a Monday, Feb. 10 statement from Princess Cruises.
The passengers who remain quarantined are set to continue to be provided complimentary internet and telephone to use in order to stay in contact with their family and loved ones, according to the cruise line.
Carl Goldman and Jeri Seratti-Goldman, owners of KHTS Radio, are two of the thousands of passengers now quarantined on the Diamond Princess in the port of Yokohama, Japan.
“It’s been an adventure,” Goldman said. “We are quarantined in our cabin for two weeks. The Princess crew has been stellar, delivering three great meals a day to our room and trying to take care of our needs.”
The Goldmans were on the tail end of a 16-day cruise through Southeast Asia when the Diamond Princess was put under quarantine.
“We are making the best of our adventure,” Seratti-Goldman said. “We are working remotely. Today I’m doing laundry in our bathtub as we are running low on clean clothes. We’ve been watching a lot of movies, reading and enjoying each other.”
Currently, health officials are awaiting lab results of additional passengers and crew who were displaying symptoms.
Princess Cruises will continue to fully cooperate with and follow the instructions of global medical authorities and the Japanese government.
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