Yeh, it’s contagious:
Another 41 people quarantined aboard a cruise liner off the coast of Japan have tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the total number of infected passengers to 61.
The dramatic jump in fresh cases follows 10 positive diagnoses among Diamond Princess passengers on Wednesday, and a further 10 on Thursday.
The new cases were among 171 remaining test results. The results of all 273 tests have now been confirmed.
About 3,700 passengers and crew are aboard the ship, but tests were conducted only on people who displayed symptoms or had been in close contact with a Hong Kong man who tested positive after leaving the ship at the end of last month.
Twenty-one of the 41 patients are Japanese, the health minister, Katsunobu Kato, told reporters on Friday. The nationalities of the remaining passengers were not immediately available.
The age range of the newly diagnosed patients suggests that older passengers are particularly vulnerable.
The new cases include three people in their 20s to 40s, three in their 50s, eight in their 60s, 21 in their 70s and six in their 80s, Kato said.
Normally it’s just the runs.
The news appears to have shaken market confidence that central banks can cure it.
