Fifty one persons tested positive for COVID-24 yesterday, increasing the number of cumulative confirmed cases to 1,735.
According to official sources the new cases include 20 foreign returnees and seven Navy personnel.
The Epidemiology Unit’s situation report published yesterday does not include the new cases and was published when the total number of confirmed cases was 1,683.
According to the report, 559 confirmed cases were local overseas returnees, 808 were Navy personnel and their close contacts, and three were foreigners. The remaining 313 were categorised as other local cases.
At present, 883 COVID-19 patients are under medical care, of which 137 are at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), 118 are at the Welisara Navy Hospital, and 107 are at the Hambantota District General HospitalThe Epidemiology Unit also states that 13 persons recovered from COVID-19 yesterday. This includes seven from the NIID, five from the Minuwangoda Base Hospital, and one from the Colombo East Base Hospital. A total of 836 persons have recovered in the country.
While 66 suspect patients, including 10 at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka, are under investigation in several hospitals, the number of PCR tests conducted in Sri Lanka has increased to 68,204. This includes 1,783 tests carried out on Tuesday. However, the Epidemiology Unit states that no community cases have been identified since 30 April.
The Defence Ministry stated that a flight carrying 291 Sri Lankans from Singapore landed in the island early yesterday. All returnees will be required to complete the quarantine process at a quarantine centre.
Military Spokesman Brig. Chandana Wickramasinghe stated that, as of yesterday, the quarantine centres had released 11,669 persons after they completed the quarantine process and that a further 5,243 persons are yet to be released.
“It is mostly Sri Lanka Army personnel that work in these centres. We have taken all safety measures to prevent them from contracting COVID-19,” he said, adding that the Panagoda Army Hospital, which is currently treating three persons, is being considered a dedicated treatment facility for COVID-19.
(FT)