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Tuesday, 14 July 2020 00:33 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Shailendree Wickrama Adittiya
Twenty nine persons tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday, bringing the total number of confirmed patients in the country to 2,646.
Of the new patients, 11 are inmates of the Senapura Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre, two from Rajanganaya area, 14 from the Kandakadu Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre, and two are returnees from Maldives.
The total number of patients from the treatment and rehabilitation centre in Kandakadu has exceeded 487, while 950 of the total confirmed patients are Navy personnel and their close contacts, and 832 are Sri Lankan returnees from overseas.
According to Army Commander Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva, 429 persons of the total number identified from the Kandakadu cluster are persons undergoing rehabilitation at the centre while 42 are staff members and 16 are their contacts.
“It must be stated that we are receiving reports on patients being identified from areas like Ratnapura, but that these are staff or inmates of the treatment and rehabilitation centre who are from these areas,” he said, explaining that regardless of where a patient is identified from, Public Health Inspectors (PHIs) from the area of residence are notified of the situation.
Lt. Gen. Silva emphasised that there could be misunderstandings between where a patient is at the time they are identified and their place of residence, and that it was thus important that the public rely on information provided by Government sources.
Echoing these views was Health Services Director General Dr. Anil Jasinghe, who stated that the spread of COVID-19 in Rajanganaya could have been contained to a greater degree if the funeral and religious rituals of a patient’s relative had been conducted according to health guidelines.
He added that COVID-19 was affecting neighbouring countries, Asia, and the rest of the world, and that Sri Lanka was facing the threat of it as well. “It is thus important to follow the health guidelines issued to contain the spread of the virus because we are seeing that they are not being followed strictly,” Dr. Jasinghe said.
He added: “It must also be stated that the virus has not spread throughout the country through the Kandakadu cluster but the spread is only seen in certain areas, mainly Rajanganaya.”
The Health Services Director General explained that a significant amount of measures have already been taken to contain the further spread of COVID-19 in the country, with special focus being on the Rajanganaya area. As part of these measures, movement has been restricted in Track 1, Track 3, and Track 5 of Rajanganaya.
The volume of PCR testing carried out in Sri Lanka has also increased and the Health Promotion Bureau shows that the highest number of PCR tests conducted in a day was on 12 July, when 2,251 tests were carried out. A total of 124,322 PCR tests have been carried out so far.
In addition to this, zero persons were discharged following recovery yesterday and the total number of recoveries remains at 1,981.
The number of suspect patients under investigation at various hospitals has increased to 112 and the number of active cases in the country is currently 650. Of these, 365 are at the Kandakadu Treatment Centre, 64 are at the Welikanda Base Hospital, and 59 are at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID).
While the Epidemiology Unit maintains that the last case from the community was identified on 30 April, information issued by the Health Promotion Bureau shows that the COVID-19 recovery rate in Sri Lanka is currently 74.98% while the country’s fatality rate is 0.42%.
In addition to this, the Passenger Transport Management Ministry stated that vendors will not be permitted to carry out sales on private as well as Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) buses. According to information shared by the Department of Government Information (DGI), the Sri Lanka Railway Department has not permitted sales on trains since March as a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The Education Ministry also stated that public days by the Ministry held every Wednesday will be temporarily suspended but that persons who wish to contact the Ministry can do so on the 1988 hotline.
