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Wednesday, 3 November 2021 00:10 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Shailendree Wickrama Adittiya
Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 detections rose to 542,212 with 573 persons testing positive for COVID-19 yesterday.
The patients detected yesterday include 572 persons from the New Year cluster and one overseas arrival. The Health Promotion Bureau states that 4,618 PCR tests were conducted yesterday.
The previous day, 6,109 PCR tests and 2,630 rapid antigen tests were conducted. The COVID-19 patients detected on Monday include 564 persons from the New Year cluster and two Sri Lankan overseas arrivals.
The Epidemiology Unit states that 437,544 patients have been detected from the New Year cluster, 82,785 patients have been detected from the Peliyagoda cluster, 9,051 patients have been detected from the Prisons cluster, and 3,059 patients have been detected from the Divulapitiya cluster.
The country’s imported cases include 6,958 Sri Lankans and 328 foreigners.
The district distribution of COVID-19 cases records 113,185 persons from Colombo, 95,688 persons from Gampaha, 52,077 persons from Kalutara, 33,616 persons from Galle, and 26,186 persons from Kurunegala.
During the third wave of the pandemic, 80,888 persons from Colombo, 77,154 persons from Gampaha, and 45,019 persons from Kalutara tested positive for COVID-19.
At present, 14,902 persons are under medical or home-based care and 2,511 persons suspected of having COVID-19 are under observation.
The country’s COVID-19 recoveries rose to 513,540 with 448 persons released from care yesterday.
Pharmaceutical Production, Supply and Regulation State Minister Channa Jayasumana has raised concerns about the A.30 COVID-19 variant, which can evade vaccine-induced immunity. However, lecturer attached to the Immunology and Molecular Medicine Department of the Sri Jayewardenepura University Dr. Chandima Jeewandara clarified that the A.30 variant is not spreading on a global level as per currently available data.
“It's almost extinct,” he tweeted, adding that the strain nevertheless does require continuous surveillance. “It may be going undetected in some locations where testing capacities are limited.”
He explained that recent panic over the strain may have been caused by an article titled, ‘The spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 variant A.30 is heavily mutated and evades vaccine-induced antibodies with high efficiency,’ published in the Nature journal.
“This study is not a suggestion that vaccination is not effective against the variant and getting a COVID vaccine is still the best option to fight the pandemic,” Dr. Jeewandara added.
At present, the World Health Organization (WHO) has four variants of concern, which are Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), Gamma (P.1) and Delta (B.1.617.2). The currently designated Variants of Interest are Lambda of the C.37 lineage and Mu of the B.1.621 lineage.
The A.30 variant is not among them.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet of Ministers on Monday agreed to a revised schedule for examinations for the year 2021 submitted by the Education Ministry. The exams were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Accordingly, the Grade 5 Scholarship examination will be held on 22 January 2022, the G.C.E. Advanced Level exam will be held from 7 February to 5 March, and the G.C.E Ordinary Level exam will be held from 23 May to 1 June.
