Saturday Dec 28, 2024
Saturday Dec 28, 2024
Tuesday, 10 August 2021 02:25 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Shailendree Wickrama Adittiya
Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 detections rose to 332,947 with the detection of 2,953 COVID-19 patients yesterday.
The detections include 2,938 persons from the New Year cluster, which has grown to 227,587 since it emerged after the Sinhala and Tamil New Year in April. The Peliyagoda cluster, which is no longer active, is the country’s second biggest cluster, with 82,785 patients. The Prisons cluster has 7,932 persons linked to it and the Divulapitiya cluster has 3,059 persons linked to it.
The cumulative patient count of the four clusters is 324,316.
The country’s total patient count also includes 6,389 Sri Lankan overseas arrivals and 328 foreigners.
According to the Health Promotion Bureau, 18,536 PCR tests were carried out yesterday. On Sunday, 18,704 PCR tests and 5,348 rapid antigen tests were carried out.
On Sunday, 2,936 persons from the New Year cluster, 15 persons from the Prisons cluster, and five Sri Lankan overseas arrivals tested positive for COVID-19. The detections include 852 persons from Colombo, 320 persons from Kalutara, and 319 persons from Gampaha.
Western Province detections during the third wave of the pandemic consist of 44,934 persons from Colombo, 41,260 persons from Gampaha, and 28,805 persons from Kalutara.
In total, 77,231 persons from Colombo, 59,794 persons from Gampaha, and 35,863 persons from Kalutara have tested positive for COVID-19. In addition to this, 16,158 patients from Kurunegala, 15,834 patients from Galle, and 15,247 patients from Kandy have also been detected.
The Epidemiology Unit states that 2,161 persons left hospitals yesterday, raising the country’s COVID-19 recoveries to 295,518.
At present, 32,318 persons are under medical care and 2,926 persons are being observed over suspicions of having contracted of COVID-19.
Despite the country’s worsening COVID-19 situation, the Government is yet to enforce lockdown or strict travel restrictions. When asked if a request had been made to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Health Ministry Spokesperson Dr. Hemantha Herath said lockdown has always been an alternative solution to the situation and that a decision would be made collectively and not only by health officials.
