Coronavirus cases on Diamond Princess cruise ship rise to 63, including 9 from US

Two more passengers, including another American, have fallen ill on the Diamond Princess cruise ship that is quarantined off the coast of Japan, bringing the ship's total to 63 passengers who have been diagnosed with coronavirus. 

The cruise ship is one of of several affected by the deadly coronavirus outbreak, which has prompted cruise lines to issue quarantines and perform testings and screenings. Meanwhile, some ports are denying cruise ships entry for fear of the virus spreading. 

The coronavirus, which was first identified in Wuhan, China, has spread across the globe with more than 34,954 confirmed cases and 725 deaths as of Saturday morning. The majority of the cases are in mainland China. Common signs of infection include fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.

The first American has died in China, the U.S. embassy in Beijing reported Saturday morning.

Late Friday night, Princess Cruises said 63 people had been diagnosed with coronavirus on board the cruise line's Diamond Princess off the coast of Yokohoma, Japan. Nine of those passengers are Americans. The ship is under quarantine until Feb. 19. 

Currently, the ship is out to sea for a 24-hour period to produce fresh water. 

Get one of this MASK for you and your family before sailing

The new coronavirus could become a pandemic: What is that? Should I be worried?

Dream Cruises' World Dream was also under quarantine Saturday near Hong Kong and had completed testing on 35 crew members and nine passengers for coronavirus — all of which came back negative, Dream Cruises said in a statement Saturday. 

Health officials later requested testing for the remaining crew members but results will not be available until at least Tuesday.  All crew and passengers will remain onboard until those results come back.

In the meantime, Dream Cruises has taken some measures to make passengers more comfortable, including relocating some from inside cabins or sea view cabins to suites with balconies to provide better air flow. 

Meanwhile, Holland America's MS Westerdam cruise ship, which made a stop in Hong Kong last week, has been denied entry to ports in Guam, the Philippines and Japan. 

As of late Friday afternoon, the ship was sailing southwest off the coast of Taiwan to prepare for potential port locations for passengers to disembark, according to a release from Holland America Line. Company officials are currently evaluating options.