Diamond Princess
Diamond PrincessReuters

Coronavirus claimed the lives of two passengers from the Diamond Princess, Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported on Thursday.

The Japanese man and woman, both said to be in their 80s, had left the ship last week and were hospitalized. Both passengers reportedly had underlying conditions, according to the report.

These are the first confirmed deaths aboard the cruise ship.

Meanwhile, China reported a dramatic drop in new coronavirus infections on Thursday, according to Reuters.

China’s central Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak, reported 349 new confirmed cases, down from 1,693 a day earlier and the lowest since January 25.

The death toll in the province rose by 108, bringing to total in China to over 2,100 deaths and 74,500 cases.

On Wednesday, two people died of the disease in the Iranian city of Qom.