Public/Global Health

8 more Americans diagnosed with coronavirus on cruise ship

An additional eight more Americans who are on the cruise ship that has been quarantined off the coast of Japan have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, NBC News reports.

In total, 11 of the 61 people on the cruise ship that have been diagnosed with the virus are Americans. The eight newly diagnosed were just a fraction of the 41 overall new cases on the Diamond Princess.

The quarantine of the ship began after a passenger who got off the ship late last month in Hong Kong was diagnosed with the coronavirus. There are about 3,700 passengers and crew on board and all are being quarantined.

The cruise line reportedly said that it expects the quarantine to last until at least Feb. 19.

Worldwide, the death toll of the virus has risen to at least 638, with over 31,000 confirmed cases in mainland China alone.