• Over 70,000 COVID-19 patients from Western Province
• Total patient count rises to 128,479; 22,067 currently under medical care
• PHI Union raises concerns about delays in PCR results
• Says unable to make decisions on COVID-19 situation based on outdated results

By Shailendree Wickrama Adittiya

The country’s daily COVID-19 cases exceeded 2,500 for a second straight day with health authorities stating that 2,573 persons linked to the New Year cluster tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday.

According to the Department of Government Information, the Divulapitiya, Peliyagoda, Prisons and New Year clusters have a cumulative patient count of 122,446.

This includes 82,785 patients linked to the Peliyagoda cluster, 29,057 patients linked to the New Near cluster, 4,972 patients linked to the Prisons cluster, and 3,059 patients linked to the Minuwangoda cluster. In terms of imported cases, 3,806 Sri Lankan returnees from abroad and 313 foreigners have tested positive for COVID-19 to date.

The country’s total COVID-19 patient count is 128,479.

Of the patients, 37,130 are from Colombo District, 23,171 are from Gampaha District, 9,863 are from Kalutara District, 5,708 are from Kurunegala District, and 5,379 are from Kandy District.

The district distribution of patients includes the 2,672 persons who tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, of which 755 were from Colombo, 323 were from Gampaha, 234 were from Kalutara, 228 were from Galle, and 192 were from Ratnapura.

At present, 22,067 persons are under medical care, including 554 persons at the Punani Treatment Centre, 508 persons at the Neville Fernando Teaching Hospital, and 473 persons at the Bingiriya Treatment Centre.

Hospitals also have 1,249 persons under observation.

According to the Epidemiology Unit, 1,148 persons were discharged from treatment centres yesterday having recovered from the virus. Among the recoveries were 123 persons from the Punani Treatment Centre, 80 persons from the Dambadeniya Treatment Centre, and 67 persons from the Giriulla Treatment Centre.

The country’s total COVID-19 recoveries are 105,611.

The Public Health Inspectors’ (PHI) Union yesterday raised concerns about the delay in issuing PCR results, saying this delays second contacts of patients being directed for quarantine or treatment, allowing them to interact with society for longer.

“What is being reported to us daily is not the number of persons who were infected that day but the number of samples tested that day depending on the laboratory capacity,” PHI Union President Upul Rohana said, explaining that the 2,672 COVID-19 patients detected on Sunday were not an accurate reflection of the COVID-19 situation that day,

“We cannot make a decision on the spread of the disease and if it has dropped or risen with outdated data,” he added.

The PHI Union President went on to say that at the very least, movement restrictions between districts was necessary to control the spread of the virus.

Sixteen Grama Niladhari (GN) Divisions in the Gampaha, Kalutara, Ampara, Rathnapura, and Monaragala Districts have been placed under isolation, the National Operations Centre for the Prevention of the COVID-19 Outbreak said.

This includes GN Divisions in the Mahara, Katana and Wattala Police Areas in the Gampaha District, Moragahahena and Horana Police Areas in the Kalutara District, Dehiattakandiya Police Area in the Ampara District, the Ratnapura Police Area, and the Monaragala Police Area.

Rise in daily detections attributed to clearance of PCR backlog