Tokyo: Two more Indians on board a quarantined cruise ship off Japan have tested positive for the novel Coronavirus [ COVID- 19] even as India assured that it will provide all possible assistance to its nationals on the ship to return home after they test negative in the final tests that would begin on Monday, the Indian Embassy said on Sunday.
A total of 138 Indians, including 132 crew and 6 passengers, were among the 3,711 people 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.
Earlier, three Indian crew members tested positive for the virus and are receiving treatment.
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. u201c Hoping our Indian nationals u2014 braving the situation, to test negative, allowing them to travel back HOME. @ IndianEmbTokyo stands ready for all possible assistance,u201d the mission said.
On Saturday, it said that the condition of the three Indians infected with the virus was improving.
The death toll from Chinau2019s Coronavirus epidemic climbed to 1,665 after 142 more people died, mostly in the worst- hit Hubei province, and the confirmed cases jumped to 68,500, officials said on Sunday.
The Coronavirus outbreak originated in central Chinau2019s Hubei province in December last year and has spread to several countries, including India. Agencies Beijing: A recent speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping published by state media indicates for the first time that he was leading the response to a new virus outbreak from early on in the crisis.
The publication of February 3 speech was an apparent attempt to demonstrate that the Communist Party leadership acted decisively from the beginning, but also opens Xi up to criticism over why the public was not alerted sooner.
In the speech, Xi said he gave instructions on fighting the virus on January 7 and ordered the shutdown that began on January 23 of cities at the epicentre of the outbreak. His remarks were published by state media on late Saturday.
u201c On Jan. 22, in light of the epidemicu2019s rapid spread and the challenges of prevention and control, I made a clear request that Hubei province implements comprehensive and stringent controls over the outflow of people,u201d he told a meeting of the partyu2019s standing committee. Agencies Two more Indians on board Japanu2019s cruise test positive for Coronavirus The Diamond Princess Cruise at Yokohama port on Sunday. PIC/ AFP A total of 138 Indians, including 132 crew and 6 passengers, were among the 3,711 people on board Diamond Princess Tweet talk Indian Embassy: u2018 Over the last 2 days, 137 new cases on # DiamondPrincess tested positive for # COVID- 19, including two Indian nationals, taken to onshore medical facilities for treatment.
Three other Indian crew members, receiving treatment are responding well, with no fever or painu2019 Prez Xiu2019s early involvement in virus outbreak raises questions Supporters hold a memorial for Dr Li Wenliang, who was the whistleblower of the virus. PIC/ AFP
