Coronavirus latest: Four evacuated Diamond Princess cruise ship passengers test positive in UK

Four of the cruise ship passengers evacuated from Japan have tested positive for coronavirus in the UK.

The virus was passed on in the Diamond Princess cruise ship and the affected patients have been transferred from Arrowe Park Hospital to specialist infection centres.

Chief Medical Officer for England Professor Chris Whitty said this brought the total number of virus cases in the UK to 13.

The passengers had been among a group of 30 British nationals and two Irish citizens who arrived at a quarantine block in Merseyside on Saturday.

The Department of Health said a “full infectious disease risk assessment” was done before Saturday’s repatriation flight and that no-one who boarded the flight had displayed any symptoms of the virus.

This is the second batch of evacuees staying in Merseyside following the hosting of 83 British nationals earlier in February and a health official said they now have a “blueprint” for how to handle the new arrivals.

On Sunday, 118 people who had been evacuated from virus-epicentre Wuhan and were staying at the Kents Hill Park training and conference centre in Milton Keynes were released following a two week quarantine period.

The four new coronavirus cases come as one of the Diamond Princess passengers who was hospitalised after testing positive for coronavirus died in Japan, becoming the third fatality from the stricken cruise ship.

Japan's health ministry also announced 57 more cases of infections from the ship, including 55 crew members still on board and two passengers who had infected roommates and were in a prolonged quarantine at a government facility.

Together with the new cases, 691 people have been infected on the ship, or nearly one-fifth of the vessel’s original population of 3,711.

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