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Tuesday, 12 January 2021 01:53 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Shailendree Wickrama Adittiya
The triple COVID-19 clusters that emerged from Divulapitiya, Peliyagoda and Prisons, yesterday exceeded 45,000 patients, with the detection of 569 persons who tested positive for the virus.
According to the Department of Government Information, 564 associates of the Peliyagoda cluster and four persons linked to the prisons cluster were among the patients detected yesterday.
The triple clusters have thus expanded to 45,186 COVID-19 patients.
According to the Epidemiology Unit, 48,949 COVID-19 patients have been detected in the island to date. The total patient count includes 1,714 Sri Lankan returnees from overseas, 950 Navy personnel and their contacts, 651 persons linked to the Kandakadu cluster and 134 foreigners.
Of the active patients, 6,626 are currently under medical care. The active patients include 575 persons at the Punani Treatment Centre, 427 persons at the Bingiriya Treatment Centre and 319 persons at the Gallela Treatment Centre. Hospitals are also monitoring 625 persons suspected of having COVID-19.
The country’s total COVID-19 recoveries yesterday rose to 42,091, and the Epidemiology Unit states that 133 persons from the Kopai Treatment Centre, 71 persons from the Panideniya Treatment Centre, and 65 persons from the Gallela Treatment Centre are among those discharged yesterday.
Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera yesterday warned that the country’s COVID-19 situation will worsen to the level of spread seen in the United States of America and the United Kingdom, where treatment is restricted in order to manage resources, if management and prevention measures are not properly implemented in Sri Lanka.
“COVID-19 is still present in our country and patients in the hundreds are reported daily. Patients are being detected from various areas, while there is disease management in the Colombo Municipal area and the Western Province. We experience this within the Colombo Municipal area, for instance, the Gothamipura area in Rajagiriya,” he said.
Dr. Samaraweera explained that it was vital to reduce the spread of the virus within the country so that health authorities could then ensure COVID-19 is not transmitted through ports of entry.
In terms of the spread of COVID-19 in the country, a total of 32,609 patients have been detected from the Western Province. This includes 19,283 persons from Colombo, 10,067 persons from Gampaha and 3,259 persons from Kalutara.
The district distribution of COVID-19 patients published by the Epidemiology Unit also records 1,725 patients from Kandy, 843 patients from Kalmunai and 828 patients from Ratnapura. Of the 540 patients detected on Sunday, 217 were from Colombo, 85 were from Gampaha, 40 were from Ratnapura and 26 were from Galle, the Department of Government Information states.
Meanwhile, Police Spokesperson DIG Ajith Rohana yesterday said, “At present, the quarantine order regarding isolation is imposed in only one Police Division in Sri Lanka, which is the Kattankudy Police Division.”
He reminded the public that isolation has been relaxed in all other areas due to compliance of health guidelines by residents and that cooperation in future was vital to ensure isolation is not imposed again. In addition to this, the Health Promotion Bureau states that 1,389,831 PCR tests have been carried out in the island to date, including 13,224 tests on Sunday.
