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Tuesday, 8 February 2022 01:10 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Shailendree Wickrama Adittiya
Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 case count exceeded 620,000 with the detection of 1,298 COVID-19 patients yesterday and the addition of 914 delayed cases to the total.
According to the Epidemiology Unit, 914 COVID-19 cases confirmed between 21 January and 31 January were added to the total yesterday after verification.
Health officials add that all patients detected yesterday were from the New Year cluster.
The previous day, 1,327 persons from the New Year cluster and four Sri Lankan overseas arrivals tested positive for COVID-19. The Health Promotion Bureau states that 8,618 PCR tests and 3,396 rapid antigen tests were conducted on Sunday.
The country’s total case count currently stands at 620,732.
This includes 514,998 persons from the New Year cluster, 82,785 persons from the Peliyagoda cluster, 9,152 persons from the Prisons cluster, and 3,059 persons from the Divulapitiya cluster.
The country’s imported cases include 7,198 Sri Lankan overseas arrivals and 328 foreigners.
The Epidemiology Unit states that 126,356 persons from Colombo, 107,740 persons from Gampaha, 55,382 persons from Kalutara, 40,382 persons from Galle, and 29,772 persons from Kurunegala have tested positive for COVID-19.
COVID-19 detections during the third wave of the pandemic include 94,059 persons from Colombo, 89,206 persons from Gampaha, and 48,324 persons from Kalutara.
At present, 23,452 persons are under medical or home-based care and 1,481 persons suspected of having COVID-19 are under observation.
The Epidemiology Unit states that 454 persons were released from care yesterday, raising the country’s COVID-19 recoveries to 581,659.
Given the COVID-19 situation in the country, health officials continue to urge the public to adhere to safety guidelines. “This is not something that health units alone can control and the public must control it,” Health Services Deputy Director Dr. Hemantha Herath said.
Meanwhile, Paediatrician Dr. B.J.C. Perera yesterday said children can be infectious for up to 10 days.
“Children may experience more symptoms than other variants. They may seem to recover within two to three days, but this does not mean a drop in the infectiousness of the child,” he explained.
In addition to this, the Advanced Level examinations are currently ongoing and Commissioner General of the Examinations Department L.M.D. Dharmasena said a total of 139 COVID-19 infected students sat for the exam at select treatment centres. Students undergoing quarantine were given the opportunity to sit for the examination in a separate room.
Dharmasena urged parents to refrain from sending their COVID-19 positive children to school to sit for the exam and to instead make sure they go to a hospital being used as an examination centre.
