Hundreds of passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise ship have finally disembarked after days of being in quarantine but the good news was overshadowed by Japan's confirmation on two coronavirus deaths.
Two Elderly Passengers Pass Away
On Thursday, the Japanese health ministry announced that two elderly passengers from the Diamond Princess who contracted the disease have passed away, marking a change in the atmosphere surrounding the quarantined ship.
The Japan Times reported that while the woman had no known conditions before getting infected, the man had a history of angina treatment and bronchial asthma. The deaths are the first from the quarantined cruise ship.
The patients were transported to medical facilities and were treated with flu medication as well as drugs that were usually used to reduce symptoms in HIV patients.
According to health ministry officials in the country, it is believed that the elderly patients contracted the CoViD-19 before the Diamond Princess was put on quarantine earlier this month.
Japan also announced new confirmed cases, with two of the latest patients being central government workers. Both worked on the docked cruise ship's quarantine and screening processes.
Two Australians from Infected Ship Test Positive at Home Turf
Aside from the first Diamond Princess deaths in Japan, another round of sad news came around early Friday as Australia announced that two Australian nationals evacuated from the cruise ship have tested positive at home.
According to The Guardian, Australia's chief medical officer Prof. Brendan Murphy the two patients are being treated in a separate isolation unit in Darwin. The patients were screened accordingly before leaving the chartered flight from Japan and all 164 of the passengers did not show any coronavirus symptoms.
However, six passengers who were screened due to minor respiratory conditions were later isolated and tested for CoViD-19 infection. Only two came out positive while the other four in isolation were cleared.
Murphy reiterated that the two patients being treated do not pose health risks to the public since they are in isolation.
While 164 people were allowed to board the Qantas flight back home after disembarking from the Diamond Princess, 10 were not allowed to join the chartered flight after they tested positive of the novel coronavirus during the preliminary screenings.
Britons Prepare to Fly Home
The government-chartered flight to the United Kingdom is preparing to cater to around 70 British nationals who have been cleared of the Wuhan coronavirus after over two weeks under quarantine.
The chartered flight is expected to leave Japan on Friday and is expected to touch down in Wiltshire on Saturday, BBC News reported.
While the British nationals who will disembark from the Diamond Princess have been cleared of the fast-spreading coronavirus, they will still undergo another two weeks of quarantine once they touch down on home ground.
So far, at least four Britons on board the cruise ship have tested positive of CoVid-19 and will not be allowed to go home yet until they are treated.
Coronavirus-Stricken Cruise Ship Reportedly Plans to Set Sail Again Soon
Meanwhile, sparks are flying for all the wrong reasons as some industry experts questioned the Diamond Princess' operators reported plan to allow the ship to set sail again in April.
Infectious disease expert Kentaro Iwata recently expressed his disappointment of the cruise ship after paying a visit. According to Business Insider, Iwata said the poor hygienic conditions on the Diamond Princess made him "so scared."
His comments came amid reports that the operator Princess Cruises is planning to let the ship sail again before the Japanese Golden Week holidays. The cruise line said it will full sanitize the ship so it will be ready for sailing.
It is unclear how the sanitation process will be implemented or how long it will take before the ship gets completely sanitized, considering that there were multiple cases of coronavirus infection among passengers.
Investigations are still underway as to how exactly or when the novel coronavirus started to spread among Diamond Princess passengers.
