Thursday Sep 19, 2024
Thursday Sep 19, 2024
Thursday, 27 August 2020 02:50 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Shailendree Wickrama Adittiya
The identification of 13 new patients yesterday brought the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the island to 2,984.
This includes 1,040 Sri Lankan arrivals from abroad and 38 foreigners. In addition to the imported cases, 950 Navy personnel and their close contacts, as well as 630 persons connected to the Kandakadu Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre, have also tested positive in the island. The total count includes 12 persons who tested positive on Tuesday, and the Epidemiology Unit states that all persons were Sri Lankan returnees from abroad. In terms of the district distribution of cases, 160 patients have been identified from the Colombo District, while 38 patients have been identified from the Gampaha District, and 35 patients have been identified from the Puttalam District.
The number of persons currently receiving medical care has risen to 153, of which 72 are at the Welikanda Base Hospital, 31 are at the Iranawila Hospital, 16 are at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), and 11 are at the Minuwangoda Base Hospital.
There are also 83 persons suspected of having COVID-19 being monitored at various hospitals, including 24 at the Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) Hospital, 19 at the Chilaw General Hospital, and 11 at the Sri Jayewardenepura Hospital.
In addition to this, the Epidemiology Unit states that three persons were discharged from hospitals having recovered from COVID-19 during the 24-hour period ending at 10 a.m. yesterday. Of the recoveries, two were discharged from the Iranawila Hospital and one was discharged from the NIID.
The total recoveries in the island has thus increased to 2,819 and the Health Promotion Bureau states that the country’s recovery rate is 94.53%, while its fatality rate is 0.4%. A total of 12 COVID-19 deaths have been reported in the island so far.
The Health Promotion Bureau adds that 213,462 PCR tests have been carried out in the island, including 2,372 on Tuesday.
In terms of repatriation efforts, Army Commander and National Operation Centre for Prevention of the COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) Head Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva stated that measures to bring back Sri Lankans in other countries will continue in the coming months, in a way that ensures there is no chance of community spread of the virus through these efforts.
During a press briefing yesterday, Silva said that over 26,000 persons from 105 countries have been repatriated thus far. He added that over 32,000 persons have completed the quarantine process at centres and 7,058 persons are currently undergoing quarantine at 65 centres in the island.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Sri Lanka Army stated that 294 persons from Qatar, 102 persons from Germany, 48 civil sea marshals from India, and 21 persons from Dubai arrived in the island and have been directed to quarantine centres. The Defence Ministry stated that 275 persons were expected to arrive in the island yesterday, including 157 from Kuwait, 60 from Maldives, 40 from China, and 18 from Bangladesh.
A total of 32,816 persons have completed the quarantine process at centres thus far, including 228 persons who left centres yesterday. According to the Sri Lanka Army, 135 persons from the Jetwing Blue Quarantine Centre, 51 persons from the Jetwing Sea Quarantine Centre, 20 persons from the Carolina Beach Quarantine Centre, 12 persons from the Rajagiriya Ayurveda Quarantine Centre, and 10 persons from the Jetwing Beach Quarantine Centre left for home yesterday. During the press briefing, Silva added that community cases have not been identified since 31 April, but went on to say, “In various areas in the country, there are people who do not wear face masks. This may be due to a belief that COVID-19 is no longer a threat to Sri Lanka. However, even if there is no community spread, there are COVID-19 patients in hospitals and there are patients identified from quarantine centres.” He explained that it is thus extremely important that people continue to follow the health guidelines issued by the health authorities. “It is the responsibility of the people to ensure they do not contract COVID-19 and in order to do this, they must follow the issued guidelines,” Silva added.
