NE NEWS SERVICE
TOKYO, FEB 17
Two more Indians on board a quarantined cruise ship off Japan have tested positive for the novel coronavirus even as India assured that it will provide all possible assistance to its nationals on the ship.
A total of 138 Indians, including 132 crew and 6 passengers, were among the 3,711people on board the ship, Diamond Princess, that arrived at the Japanese coast earlier this month. The total number of people infected with COVID-19 on the ship rose to 355 on Sunday.
With two more Indians testing positive, the number of Indians infected with virus on the ship rose to five. The infected Indians have been sent to medical facilities for further treatment and quarantine.
“As per the data released by the Japanese authorities, two more Indian nationals have tested positive for COVID-19 amongst 137 new cases over Saturday and Sunday onboard Diamond Princess Cruise ship (bringing the total number of cases to 355). Both have been sent to medical facilities for further treatment and quarantine. This is in addition to three Indian nationals who tested positive over last few days,” the Indian Embassy said in a statement.
It said that health conditions of all Indian nationals currently being treated for COVID-19 are stable and improving. The Embassy is coordinating with Japanese government and ship management company for health, safety and welfare of onboard Indian nationals, it said.
“The Embassy of India in Tokyo is in constant touch with all the Indian nationals, who are successfully braving out the situation,” the statement said.
The Indian Embassy in a tweet said that the final tests for the COVID-19 on the ship would begin on February 17 and continue over multiple days.
“Hoping our Indian nationals – braving the situation, to test negative, allowing them to travel back HOME. @IndianEmbTokyo stands ready for all possible assistance,” the mission said.
Update (as on 16 Feb 2020) on #Indian nationals on-board the quarantined cruise ship #DiamondPrincess at #Japan@MEAIndia pic.twitter.com/cVAnb4JKEq
— India in Japanインド大使館 (@IndianEmbTokyo) February 16, 2020
The Embassy said it was making efforts for early de-boarding of all the Indians from the ship after the end of the quarantine period and was in discussions with the Japanese government and the ship management company for the disembarkation modalities and welfare of Indians.
The Japanese government on Thursday announced that passengers aged 80 or older will be given the option to disembark the ship if they test negative for COVID-19. Those who meet the age requirement and have pre-existing conditions or are staying in rooms without balcony will be prioritised for disembarkation.
No Indian national falls under this category, eligible for early disembarkation, the statement said on Friday.
US and other countries prepare to take citizens home
Canada, South Korea, Hong Kong and Italy have followed the United States in announcing flights to bring home their citizens from the ship, which has been under quarantine since February 3.
Countries have said passengers should be symptom-free to board the flights, and are likely to face quarantine on arrival.
The vessel has been in quarantine since February 5 at the port of Yokohama near Tokyo, and Japan’s efforts to control the viral infections on board have prompted international concern.
The ship was carrying more than 3,700 passengers and crew from more than 50 countries and territories when it docked and was placed in isolation, after authorities found a passenger who got off in Hong Kong during the voyage had tested positive for the virus.
India to send medical supplies to China
Indian Ambassador Vikram Misri said on Sunday that the country will do everything within its means to assist the people of China to combat the deadly coronavirus outbreak and would soon send a consignment of medical supplies.
“As a concrete step to tackle the outbreak, India will soon send a consignment of medical supplies to China,” Misri said, adding that this is a concrete measure which will fully demonstrate the goodwill, solidarity and friendship of the people and Government of India with the Chinese people.
406 Indians from Wuhan test negative at ITBP facility
All 406 people, who are housed at an ITBP quarantine facility after being brought back from Wuhan, have tested negative for novel Coronavirus in the latest sample examination and will be discharged in a phased manner beginning today, officials said.
The final samples of all the people quarantined at the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) facility here were collected by a team of doctors on Friday. The final coronavirus test reports of all 406 people have been found negative, an ITBP spokesperson said on Sunday. The people will be discharged in a phased manner based on the advisory issued by the Ministry of Health with due medical procedures and protocols, he said.
US tourist tests positive for second time in Malaysia
An American passenger from a cruise ship that docked in Cambodia has tested positive for the new coronavirus a second time in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia said on Sunday, after the cruise firm and Cambodian authorities sought further tests.
The 83-year-old woman was the first passenger from the MS Westerdam, operated by Carnival Corp unit Holland America Inc, to test positive for the virus. She tested positive in the Malaysian capital where she arrived on Friday from the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville.
But the cruise ship operator had sought more tests, saying the first result was preliminary. Cambodian authorities also called on Malaysia to review its test results.
Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Waz Azizah Wan Ismail said on Sunday the American woman tested positive again on Saturday night.
Second patient discharged in Kerala
A student being treated for the novel coronavirus in Kerala was discharged on Sunday after two consecutive test results returned negative. The development makes the student India’s second patient to recover from the infection, health authorities said.
The patient from Kasaragod, one of the three positive cases of coronavirus detected in the country on their return from China, will, however, remain under home quarantine for ten days, the state health department said. More than 2,000 people are still under observation for the novel coronavirus in the state, which had accounted for all three positive cases in the country.
Earlier on Thursday, a student from Alappuzha was discharged after his two consecutive samples sent for testing at the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune turned out to be negative. India’s first coronavirus case, a woman medico from Thrissur, is awaiting test results from Pune NIV after samples screened at the Alappuzha centre of the institute had returned negative last week.
