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Thursday, 24 December 2020 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Asiri Fernando
A total of 579 persons tested positive for the COVID-19 virus yesterday, with 507 of them being contacts of the Peliyagoda Fish Market cluster and 72 from the Prisons cluster.
With medical professionals raising concern of a possible surge in virus infections during the last week of December and in January 2021, the public has been urged not to embark on religious pilgrimages to Adams Peak by the Nuwara Eliya District Committee for controlling COVID-19. A similar request was made by the Trincomalee District COVID Committee, following the detection of 70 infected patients this week. According to the Department of Government Information, yesterday’s count of 579 pushes the total number of confirmed COVID-19 patients from the Prisons, Minuwangoda and Peliyagoda Clusters past 38,600.
A total of 8,342 infected patients remain under treatment at 68 hospitals and treatment centres, with the highest number of patients being treated at the Bingiriya treatment centre, the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health said. As of last morning, 29,882 patients had recovered out of the total of 38,407 infected patients reported, the National Operations Center for the Prevention of COVID-19 (NOCPOC) said.
According to the NOCPOC, 6292 persons are undergoing the mandatory quarantine program at 72 quarantine centres managed by the armed forces. A total of 11,672 PCR tests had been conducted on Tuesday (22 December). 615 patients who recovered had been discharged from treatment and returned home on Monday, the NOCPOC added.
A total of 245 Sri Lankans were repatriated from six countries yesterday, the NOCPC said. All repatriated persons were moved to quarantine centres after being subjected to PCR tests at the airport. Additionally, a 71-year-old male COVID-19 patient was reported to have lost his life due to the virus, raising total fatalities in Sri Lanka to 184.
