Over three dozen more people on board a luxury cruise ship quarantined off the coast of Japan have tested positive for the coronavirus that has sparked worldwide panic and claimed hundreds of lives. Japan’s Health Ministry confirmed on Thursday that 44 more people have been found to have the virus, meaning 218 people on board the Diamond Princess cruise have been infected. More than 3,500 passengers and crew have been on the ship since the quarantine began on Feb. 3. “We are doing our utmost for the health of crew members and passengers who remain on the ship,” Japanese Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said at a news conference Thursday. As of late Wednesday, the death toll of the coronavirus outbreak stood at 1,357 worldwide, with most of the deaths reported in China’s Hubei province, considered the epicenter of the outbreak.
