'COVID-19 Cluster Infection' on Japanese Cruise Ship, 44 More Infected Confirmed

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] It has been confirmed that an additional 44 COVID-19 cases have been reported on the cruise ship in Japan where a cluster infection occurred.

According to Kyodo News on the 13th, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced that 44 more COVID-19 cases were confirmed on the cruise ship "Diamond Princess," which is docked at Yokohama Port, Japan, on the 13th. Among those infected on the cruise ship, 29 are Japanese nationals and 15 are foreign nationals.

Since the first cluster infection was confirmed on the 5th, a total of 218 COVID-19 cases have been reported on the cruise ship. By age group, those in their 80s are the largest at 33, followed by 7 in their 70s, 2 in their 60s, 1 in their 50s, and 1 under 40. Forty-three are passengers and one is a crew member. However, among the 14 Korean passengers, no infections have been confirmed so far.

Katsunobu Kato (加藤勝信), Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, stated at a press conference that COVID-19 tests will be conducted on elderly passengers with underlying health conditions, and those who test negative will be prioritized for disembarkation. It is expected that disembarkation for those who receive a "negative" result will take place after the 14th.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has decided to include "asymptomatic COVID-19 infected persons" without symptoms such as fever or cough as subjects for mandatory hospitalization. The Ministry explained that to thoroughly prevent the spread of COVID-19, related regulations have been revised to add asymptomatic infected persons to the list of those subject to mandatory hospitalization.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.