A medical worker wearing protective gear (center) waits to take the temperature of people in an entrance of Princess Margaret Hospital in Hong Kong on Feb 4, 2020. (ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP)

HONG KONG - The Department of Health confirmed three more cases of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday, bringing the tally of confirmed cases in Hong Kong to 65.

Wednesday also saw another patient died from the disease, bringing the number of deaths caused by the virus in the city to two.

One of the latest patient is an 83-year-old woman, the mother of the 60th patient and mother-in-law of the 57th patient, said Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the Communicable Disease Branch of the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health, at a daily briefing on the epidemic.

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The patient was hospitalized on Saturday after a fall and had surgery the next day. She had no symptoms of coronavirus infection at the time, and her lung X-rays showed no signs of infection. She was quarantined and tested on Tuesday after the hospital learned that her daughter and son-in-law had been diagnosed with the disease.

The patient’s husband is at the hospital for tests, Chuang said.

The authority has contacted 24 Hong Kong passengers of MS Westerdam. Among them, 18 entered Hong Kong and showed no symptoms and 4 are still in Cambodia

The other two patients are a 68-year-old man and a 70-year-old woman living in Siu Sai Wan. They are a couple and had no record of recent travel outside the city.

Meanwhile, another patient was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday, the fifth patient who has recovered from the disease, said Lau Ka-hin, chief manager (quality and standards) of the Hospital Authority.

The 63-year-old man who was confirmed on Jan 24 to be the fifth case of coronavirus infection in Hong Kong. He arrived in the city on Jan 22 from Wuhan, the epicenter of the disease.

Also on Wednesday, a 70-year-old man diagnosed with the coronavirus died in hospital in the morning.

The man, who lived alone in Kwai Ching Shek Lei II, was believed to have visited the Chinese mainland via Lok Ma Chau checkpoint on Jan 22. 

Health authorities were unable to ascertain the source of infection and believed that he likely contracted the virus locally. 

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Chuang also said that the MS Westerdam, a cruise ship that was turned away by several ports because of possible coronavirus infection on board, has 36 Hong Kong passengers. The ship, which set sail from Hong Kong on Feb 1, is now docked in Cambodia, and some passengers were allowed to disembark after being tested negative for the coronavirus infection.

Chuang said the authority has contacted 24 Hong Kong passengers of the ship. Among them, 18 entered Hong Kong and showed no symptoms and 4 are still in Cambodia.