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A Russian woman on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined off the coast of Japan has tested positive for the coronavirus, Russia’s Embassy in Tokyo said on February 17.

The woman is the first confirmed case among the 24 Russians on board the Diamond Princess. She is also thought to be the first Russian national to contract the coronavirus.

“A female citizen of Russia has tested positive for the coronavirus in the course of Covid-19 screening of all passengers by Japanese authorities. The Russian woman will soon be hospitalized in order to receive treatment,” the embassy said.

“The Embassy will continue to provide comprehensive assistance to our citizens,” it added.

Two previous cases found in Russia — one in the Siberian city of Chita and one in the Tyumen region — were both Chinese nationals. They have both recovered and have been discharged from hospital.

The Diamond Princess departed from Yokohama on January 20 with 2,666 tourists and 1,045 crew members on board for a two-week cruise to Kagoshima, Hong Kong, and Okinawa.

The cruise was supposed to end on February 4. But one of the passengers who disembarked in Hong Kong tested positive for the coronavirus and the cruise ship was quarantined in Yokohama for 14 days.

Based on reporting by RFE/RL’s Current Time, TASS, and Interfax

Citations

[1]https://twitter.com/RusEmbassyJ/status/1229343883835801600