57 more people on Diamond Princess infected, total at 691 in Japan

Japanese authorities Sunday said 57 more people on board the quarantined Diamond Princess have tested positive for the new coronavirus (COVID-19), bring total number of infection cases on the ship to 691.

The country earlier has reported a third death related to the cruise ship, saying a Japanese male passenger in his 80s has died in hospital on Sunday. He was transferred to hospital after tested positive while onboard.

But Japan's health officials did not mention when he's been tested and hospitalized, nor the location of the facility.

The virus-hit ship has nearly 3,700 passenger and crew members.

After the end of a two-week quarantine on February 19, some of its passengers who tested negative for the virus have disembarked in batches.

However, Japan has been scrutinized over these days for its mismanagement and bad handling of quarantine on the ship, and situation worsened after reports of disembarked passenger tested positive for the virus shortly after home emerged.

Japan's health minister Sunday said daily phone calls will be made to hundreds of people who have disembarked from the Diamond Princess to keep close tabs on their health conditions.

As of 9:20 p.m. local time on Sunday, Japan had 838 confirmed cases, consisting of 619 on the virus-hit ship, 133 domestic infections and 14 of people flew back Japan via government charted airplanes from overseas.