by Donald Wood
Last updated: 8:57 AM ET, Thu February 20, 2020
Two passengers who were quarantined on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan have died from the coronavirus.
According to NBC.com, the two deceased travelers were a Japanese man and woman in their 80s who were diagnosed with the viral infection and taken ashore for treatment last week after reporting prolonged fevers.
Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare announced both passengers died Thursday after they had tested positive for the coronavirus. The deaths were the first associated with the viral outbreak on the Princess Cruises ship, which infected more than 600 people.
The Diamond Princess vessel arrived at the port of Yokohama on February 3 and was quarantined for two weeks after passengers and crew members tested positive for the coronavirus.
The passengers who tested positive for the viral infection were removed from the ship and transported to local hospitals. The remaining travelers onboard who tested negative finished their quarantine and began disembarking from the vessel Wednesday.
Officials from Princess Cruises announced sailings on the Diamond Princess have been canceled through April 20 and all 2,666 guests have been offered a full refund. More than 400 of the passengers on the ship were from the U.S., but many were rescued by the government on Monday.
In total, China's National Health Commission confirmed 74,576 cases of coronavirus and 2,118 deaths on the Chinese mainland. The virus has also spread to 25 other countries with 924 confirmed cases.
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