TWO Malaysians on board the Diamond Princess cruise liner have tested positive for the Covid-19 coronavirus and are being managed by the Japanese authorities, the Health Ministry said.

Director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said two Malaysians on board the liner are confirmed Covid-19 cases and two more are waiting for their test results.

“The quarantined cruise ship Diamond Princess is the largest cluster of cases outside China with more than 400 people tested positive.

“Two Malaysians on Diamond Princess cruise were confirmed to be infected with Covid-19 and two more pending are awaiting anxiously for their results. Both patients are being isolated and managed in Japan,” he said in a Facebook post today.

Japan’s Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry said yesterday a total of 454 passengers on board the Diamond Princess have tested positive for the coronavirus.

The liner was on a 16-day cruise with stops in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Vietnam and made port in Yokohama Bay, Japan. She was quarantined by the authorities there because of the widespread infection on board.

A total of 2,666 passengers from more than 50 countries were quarantined in their compartments. Yesterday, more than 300 Americans rescued from the liner arrived back in the US for two more weeks of medical seclusion.

The outbreak has so far killed more than 1,800 people and infected 72,000 others in more than 25 countries.

Malaysia has so far registered 22 cases of Covid-19, of which eight people have recovered and discharged from hospital. – February 18, 2020.