Monday Dec 16, 2024
Saturday, 5 September 2020 00:21 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Shailendree Wickrama Adittiya
Four persons tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country to 3,115.
This includes 1,164 Sri Lankan returnees from abroad and 44 foreign arrivals. Besides these imported cases, the Epidemiology Unit states that 950 Navy personnel and their close contacts and 340 persons connected to the Kandakadu Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre have also tested positive.
According to the Army, the Kandakadu cluster includes 518 detainees, 67 staff members, 48 family members and close associates, and five guest staffers. The Army added that 626 persons of the cluster have recovered and only 13 remain under medical care.
The total number of persons under medical care is 196, of which nine are foreigners. The Epidemiology Unit states that 85 of the total active cases are at the Welikande Base Hospital, while 73 are at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), 28 are at the Iranawila Hospital, and three are at the Colombo East Base Hospital.
There are also 41 persons suspected of having COVID-19 being monitored at various hospitals, including nine at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka, five at the Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) Hospital, five at the Chilaw General Hospital, and five at the NIID.
In addition to this, the number of COVID-19 recoveries in the island rose to 2,907 with the recovery of 18 persons, of which one is a foreigner, during the 24-hour period ending at 10 a.m. yesterday. This includes 11 persons from the Iranawila Hospital, five from the Welikande Base Hospital, and two from the NIID.
The Health Promotion Bureau states that the country’s recovery rate is 93.44%, while its fatality rate is 0.39%. To date, 12 COVID-19-related deaths have been reported in Sri Lanka.
The Health Promotion Bureau adds that 235,221 PCR tests have been carried out thus far, including 2,511 on Thursday.
Meanwhile, 142 persons left quarantine centres yesterday, having completed the process. The Army stated that 44 persons from the Mount Lavinia Hotel Quarantine Centre, 40 persons from the Punani Quarantine Centre, 22 persons from the Hotel Dolphin Quarantine Centre, 11 persons from the Nipuna Boossa Quarantine Centre, 11 persons from the Hotel Jetwing Sea Quarantine Centre, nine persons from the Ruwala Kalpitiya Quarantine Centre, three persons from the Ayurveda Pavilions Jetwing Quarantine Centre, one person from the Beacon Beach Quarantine Centre, and one person from the Hotel Paradise Quarantine Centre left for home yesterday. A total of 36,326 persons have left quarantine centres thus far and 7,746 persons are currently undergoing the process at 73 centres managed by the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
The Army added that 96 persons from Qatar, 48 persons from India, 17 persons from Japan, and eight persons from Dubai arrived in the island yesterday and have been directed to quarantine centres.