Northamptonshire couple are finally in hospital and getting treatment for coronavirus

Sally Abel receives treatment in a Japanese hospital

The Northamptonshire couple quarantined on a cruise ship for 17 days are finally in hospital and being treated for the coronavirus.

David and Sally Abel confirmed in a Facebook post this morning (Thursday February 20) they were taken off the Diamond Princess last night, two days after being told they had tested positive for the condition.

The couple, from Woodford Halse near Daventry, issued the message on social media after discovering it was impossible to send emails or contact their family back in the UK.

David Abel posted this picture from a Japanese hospital

David, 74, posted: "We arrived in lovely hospital a couple of hours ago. We were taken by ambulance – blues and twos the entire journey.

"Outside the hospital I came over a bit weird and nearly passed out. Every pore on my body opened and I was wheelchaired to our room.

"They gave us a full health inspection and now we know what’s going on. We both contracted a cold which we were unaware of and it has not yet turned into pneumonia. We do have coronavirus.

"Tomorrow the big tests commence: chest x-rays, ECG, chest scan and more.

The Abels finally left the quarantined cruise ship Diamond Princess early last night

"We are both in the best place! Both our beds are in the same room, they do know what they are doing and our two nurses are gorgeous. Sally likes the doctor too.

"Following treatments we require two days of all clear tests then we go for another big third round of tests.

"Wi-fi will not work for me, so this will be the final communication for some time. So please don’t worry about not hearing from us."

The couple will remain in hospital while other British nationals are flown home tomorrow after a two-week quarantine period on the liner expired. Some unaffected passengers have already disembarked.

David and Sally started out on a 14-day cruise around the Far East to celebrate their golden wedding on January 20. But their ship has been docked in Yokohama off the coast of Japan since February 3 after one of the 3,700 passengers and staff on board tested positive for the Covid-19 virus.

Mr Abel posted regular social media updates and live feeds about life confined to their cabin for more than two weeks.

Japanese officials now say more than 620 people on board have tested positive making it the largest outbreak outside China.