Thursday Dec 12, 2024
Thursday Dec 12, 2024
Saturday, 20 June 2020 00:07 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Asiri Fernando
Three persons tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 1,950, health officials said. There were also no reports of infected patients recovering from the virus and being discharged yesterday.
Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 patient recovery rate has reach 74.23%, passing the global average recovery rate of 52.95%, the Health Promotion Bureau reported. The number of patients who recovered and were discharged from care remains at 1,446.
According to the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health, 493 remain under care at 11 specialised hospitals as of last evening. A total of 11 patients have succumbed to the virus.
Of the 22 persons who tested positive on Thursday, 18 were Sri Lankans repatriated from Dubai, two from Qatar, and one each from Russia and the United Kingdom. The 22 who were identified after 1,374 PCR tests for COVID-19 were carried out on Thursday. Reports indicated that an Indian national who was in transit on Wednesday had tested positive for the virus and was admitted to the National Institute for Infectious Diseases (NIID). Of the three individuals who tested positive yesterday, two were recent arrivals from Kuwait.
The Base Hospital Hambantota treated the highest number of patients – 104, with the Welikande Base Hospital treating 83 patients. The Kattankudy Base Hospital and the NIID are each treating 74 and 72 COVID-19 patients, respectively. Forty-three patients suspected of having COVID-19 symptoms are being monitored by health authorities.
A total of 756 infected Navy sailors have been discharged and moved into post-treatment quarantine after recovering from COVID-19 as of yesterday evening, the National Operations Centre for the Prevention of COVID-19 (NOCPC) said. According to the Navy, all discharged sailors were subjected to PCR tests prior to being moved to quarantine. A total of 142 sailors remain hospitalised for treatment.
The Navy plans to reopen the Welisara Navy Station in several stages in the near future, the Navy told the Daily FT. The Welisara Station which was classified as an isolated zone by health authorities in late April has received the green light from health authorities to reopen. However, the Navy plans to reopen the camp complex after completing some renovations, structural changes and additions in line with guidelines issued by health authorities, the Navy said. A total of 105 Sri Lankans were repatriated from Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom yesterday. They were repatriated on three different flights and were moved into quarantine centres after being subjected to COVID-19 PCR test at the airport.
A total of 153 persons who completed the quarantine program returned home yesterday. They were released from five quarantine centres.
According to the NOCPC, a total of 14,966 persons have returned home after completing quarantine at centres managed by the military. Another 3,970 remain in quarantine at 40 centres around the island as of last evening.
