Fifty-Seven New COVID-19 Cases on Costa Atlantica

The Japanese government confirmed that it found 57 new coronavirus infections among the crew of the Costa Atlantica on Saturday.

The cruise ship has been docked in Nagasaki for repairs since January 29. She diverted to Japan for the repairs instead of a planned stop in China. She was quarantined on arrival, and no crew members were believed to be infected during that time. However, last week it was reported that some crew members left the ship, as alleged by bus and taxi companies, despite being asked to remain onboard. New crew have also recently boarded the vessel.

Testing of all crew members is now complete, with 148 of the 623 crew testing positive.

The Japan Times notes that the infection cluster comes as hospitals are running out of beds in some parts of Japan. According to World Health Organization statistics for April 26, Japan as 13,182 cases of COVID-19, with 348 deaths.

So far only one crew member from the Costa Atlantica has been hospitalized. The others remain onboard.

The outbreak became known on Tuesday last week when officials from Mitsubishi Heavy Industry noted that a crew member developed a cough and fever.

Earlier this year, over 700 passengers and crew tested positive on the Diamond Princess which was docked in Yokohama.