MATSUYAMA, Ehime Pref.: The Ehime prefectural government said Thursday that 17 people linked to a hospital in the capital city of Matsuyama have been confirmed to be infected with the novel coronavirus.

They are six nurses and care workers of Maki Hospital in their 30s to 50s and 11 others in their 50s to 90s, including at least one inpatient. The government of the western Japan prefecture concluded that an infection cluster developed as a result of in-hospital infections.

The revelation came after a care worker in his 30s and a hospital staffer in her 40s at the hospital were found to have the virus on Wednesday. Polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, tests were subsequently carried out on people who had close contact with the two.

The cluster comprises a total of 20 people, including a family member of the care worker. Sixteen of them have shown no symptoms.

Ehime had reported no infection cases for nine straight days to Tuesday. The total number of infection cases confirmed in the prefecture now stands at 68.

JIJI Press