COLOMBO – Sri Lanka reported its 21st COVID-19 related fatality on Sunday (Nov 1), a 40-year- old male who had been receiving treatment at the National Hospital for Respirator Diseases in Welisara.

The Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health in a statement confirming the death said the deceased, a resident from Mahara, had been admitted to the hospital on October 23 with high blood pressure and respiratory tract infection. He had died on Saturday (Oct 31)

The statement said the initial PCR test conducted on deceased had been negative for COVID-19, but a second test conducted postmortem has confirmed him as being infected with the virus.

This is the eighth COVID-19 related fatality from a new and more virulent strain of the novel coronavirus that emerged in a new cluster in Minuwangoda, with the apparel factory in the area as the epicentre, in early October.  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 Sunday (Nov 1) night, the Minuwangoda/Peliyagoda cluster had recorded 7,582 cases with 397 testing COVID-19 positive during the course of the day.

The spike in COVID-19 confirmations has the country’s virus tally past the 11,000 figure to 11,060, with 6134 active cases being treated in designated hospitals across the country, and 4,905 deemed to have been recovered and discharged from hospitals. Of the latter, more than 500 were released to home care and quarantine under new guide lines adopted to ease congestion at hospitals.

Of the total confirmed cases on Sunday, 41 are from quarantine centres and 356 are from close contacts of the Minuwangoda and Peliyagoda clusters.

Meanwhile, the Government Department of Information announced Sunday that low income families in the Western Province facing hardships due to the extended lockdown would receive Rs 5000 as relief allowance, while families under home quarantine across the country would receive a Rs 10.000 relief package.

A statement from the Government Department of Information said District Secretaries, Divisional Secretaries, Grama Niladharis, Rural Committees and the Security Forces will coordinate the relief programs.  It also said measures have been taken to implement a door to door marketing system for essential food items to meet the needs of the people in the Western Province during the lockdown period.

The government also announced those engaged in agriculture in the districts where the curfew is in effect will be allowed to carry out their activities without any hindrance from the curfew.

-ENCL