Octogenarian woman becomes first person to die of new Coronavirus in Japan

TOKYO: A woman in her 80s has become the first person with the new coronavirus to die in Japan, the country's health minister said Thursday, cautioning it was not clear if the virus caused her death.

"The relationship between the new coronavirus and the death of the person is still unclear," Katsunobu Kato said at a late-night briefing.

"This is the first death of a person who tested positive."

The minister said the woman, living in Kanagawa prefecture, developed symptoms on January 22 and was hospitalised on February 1.

"She was suspected of being infected with the new coronavirus so... testing was conducted. Her positive test result was confirmed after her death," he said.

In all, Japan has 247 confirmed cases of the new disease that apparently started in Wuhan, a city in central China, in December.

Meanwhile, 44 more people on a cruise ship quarantined near Tokyo have tested positive for the virus that causes the new disease known as COVID-19.

The Diamond Princess, which is still carrying about 3,500 passengers and crew members, now has 218 people infected with the virus out of 713 people tested since it entered Yokohama Port on February 3, the largest cluster of infections outside China.