COLOMBO – Sri Lanka recorded another spike in COVID-19 related fatalities on Tuesday (10), as five deaths were reported from the Western Province taking the country’s novel coronavirus death toll to 41. This is the second time five deaths have been reported in a day, in a scenario where COVID-19 deaths have become a daily occurrence. Tuesday also recorded 430 new cases of the novel coronavirus taking the country’s total to 14,715
The Department of Government Information in a statement announcing the deaths identified the five deceased as four males aged 51, 45, 48, an unidentified person between the ages 55 and 60. and a female aged 63. Two of the deaths were reported from the Colombo National Hospital, and one at home.
The statement said the 51- year -old male who lived in an adult home in Rajagiriya, and the 45-year-old male from Colombo 10, had both died at the Colombo National Hospital, the former of COVID-pneumonia, and the latter of respiratory tract infection caused by COVID-19. The unidentified male was also determined to have died of COVID-infection following a post-mortem PCR test.
The 48-year-old male, who died at his residence in Ragama, was identified as a cancer patient, but the cause of death was determined to be exacerbation of cancer due to COVID-19 infection. A post-mortem on the body was conducted by the Ragama Hospital, the statement said. This is the 11th COVID-19 related deaths at home in the past few week. .
Meanwhile, the 63-year -old woman from the Udugampola area in Gampaha, who died at the Gampaha District Hospital, was determined to have COVID pneumonia.
The statement said the Director General of Health Services Dr. Asela Gunawardena had confirmed all five deaths to be COVID-19 related, taking the COVID fatality count to 41.
Twenty six deaths have now been officially recorded since October 24, following the emergence of a new and more virulent strain of the virus in a new cluster in Minuwangoda, with the apparel factory in the area as the epicentre earlier in the month. Since then the cluster has seen sub-clusters in several parts of the country, with the largest case load reported from the Peliyagoda fish market. As of Tuesday, the Minuwangoda/Peliyagoda cluster had recorded 11,233 cases with 430 testing positive for the virus during the course of the day.
According to the Department of Government Information daily update, all the case confirmed Tuesday are persons linked to the Minuwangoda-Peliyagoda cluster.
Tuesday’s confirmations take Sri Lanka’s novel coronavirus count to 14,715 with 9,537 being deemed recovered and discharged under the new health ministry guidelines that don’t require multiple PCR tests, and 5,137 receiving treatment at various designated hospitals across the country.
Health Authorities on Monday (9) lifted the 10-day quarantine curfew imposed on the Western Province but locked down 22 police divisions and strictly isolated several apartment complexes deeming them high risk areas. Mid Monday, Kandana and Mahabage police division in the Gampaha district and North and South Angulana Grama Niladari divisions in the Colombo suburb were added to the list. Army Commander Lt. General Shavendra Silva said the areas would remain under isolation until further notice.
-ENCL