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Monday, 31 January 2022 02:27 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Shailendree Wickrama Adittiya
COVID-19 detections over the weekend rose to 2,038 with 1,056 persons testing positive for the virus yesterday.
Daily COVID-19 detections exceeded 1,000 for the first time since 26 September 2021, when 1,078 persons tested positive for COVID-19.
According to the Department of Government Information, 1,054 persons from the New Year cluster and two overseas arrivals were among the COVID-19 patients detected yesterday.
The previous day, 973 persons from the New Year cluster, five Sri Lankan overseas arrivals and four persons from the Prisons cluster tested positive for COVID-19. The Health Promotion Bureau states that 9,025 PCR tests and 7,128 rapid antigen tests were conducted on Saturday.
A total of 610,103 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 to date.
This includes 504,655 persons from the New Year cluster, 82,785 persons from the Peliyagoda cluster, 9,135 persons from the Prisons cluster, and 3,059 persons from the Divulapitiya cluster.
The country’s imported cases include 7,171 Sri Lankan overseas returnees and 328 foreigners.
According to the Epidemiology Unit, 123,993 persons from Colombo, 105,040 persons from Gampaha, 54,958 persons from Kalutara, 40,069 persons from Galle, and 29,211 persons from Kurunegala have tested positive for COVID-19.
Detections during the third wave of the pandemic include 91,696 persons from Colombo, 86,506 persons from Gampaha, and 47,900 persons from Kalutara.
At present, 16,632 persons are under medical or home-based care and 1,688 persons suspected of having COVID-19 are under observation.
The Epidemiology Unit states that 409 persons were released from care yesterday, raising the country’s COVID-19 recoveries to 578,051.
Meanwhile, the Allergy Immunology and Cell Biology Unit of the Sri Jayewardenepura University’s Immunology and Molecular Medicine Department confirmed the detection of 82 new Omicron cases on Friday.
According to Dr. Chandima Jeewandara, the Director of the university’s Allergy, Immunology and Cell Biology Unit, 88 samples from the community were sequenced during the fourth week of January. Of the samples, 82 were Omicron cases and six were Delta cases.
“The 82 Omicron cases include a mix of the two main Omicron lineages BA.1 and BA.2,” the university states.
According to the report, 30 cases of BA.1 were detected from the Colombo Municipal Council, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Colombo, Kesbewa and Mathugama and 22 cases of BA.1.1 were detected from Colombo Municipal Council, Colombo, Kesbewa and Mathugama.
Twenty-eight cases of BA.2 were detected from Colombo Municipal Council and Colombo. Two cases of B.1.1.529 were detected from Colombo.
The Delta sub-lineages detected include four cases of the AY.104 Sri Lankan Delta sub-lineage from Horona, Mathugama, Pandura and the National Institute of Mental Health, one case of the AY.95 Sri Lankan Delta sub-lineage from Horana, and one case of B.1.617.2 from NIMH.
The Sri Jayewardenepura University states that 25% of the Omicron cases in Sri Lanka are BA.2.
“Early analysis has suggested BA.2 has a higher growth rate than BA.1 and therefore, is more transmissible than BA.1. However, early data shows that immune evasion is less with BA.2 than with BA.1,” the university states.
The Sri Jayewardenepura University previously confirmed 280 Omicron cases, while the Medical Research Institute said ten Omicron cases have been detected by the Molecular Biology Laboratory.
