The Diamond Princess cruise ship with over 3,000 people on board arrives at Yokohama port on Feb 6, 2020. (KAZUHIRO NOGI / AFP)

Another six passengers on a cruise ship quarantined in Japan have been infected with the new coronavirus, according to a statement by the operator of the ship.

Princes Cruises confirmed the number following a test by the Asian nation’s health ministry, the statement said. That brings the total number of infections on the Diamond Princess cruise ship to 70, making it the biggest center of infections outside of China. 

The health ministry was not immediately available for comment.

READ MORE: Coronavirus cases on cruise liner off Japan jump to 61

Japan’s Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said Sunday that the official number of infections in the country has reached 26. 

The minister also said the country will give priority on virus inspections to elderly people on the ship in Yokohama. There are about 600 people on the vessel who need medicine, he said.

The worldwide spread of the coronavirus has killed 813 people, eclipsing the death toll from the global outbreak of SARS almost two decades ago.