Coronavirus death toll revised to 21
275 test positive on Monday taking Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 toll to 11,335; Health Ministry says virus identified as ‘very dangerous’
COLOMBO – The government on Monday (2) revised the COVID-19 related death toll to 21, after briefly confirming the 22nd fatality, a 27-old-male who committed suicide and whose remains were later found to be COVID-19 positive. However, the Ministry of Health, late in the evening, announced it had decided not to record the death as a COVID-19 related fatality, adding it instead to the suicide column.
The decision follows questions being raised as to whether a suicide can be deemed a COVID-19 related death, even though the remains tested positive for the virus.
The Department of Government Information earlier Monday, announced that the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health had confirmed the 22nd COVID-related death, following a post-mortem examination of a patient who died on admission to the Panadura Base Hospital on Saturday (Oct 31) that confirmed the deceased was infected with the virus.
The Department identified the deceased as a 27-year old male from Wathara, Panadura, and the cause of death as suicide.
Col. Vijitha Hettiarachchi, spokesman for the National Operation Centre for prevention of COVID-19 (NOCPOC), has said the deceased person was a drug addict who had attempted suicide once before. Hettiarachchi said the man tested positive for the novel coronavirus in a PCR test conducted post mortem.
Prior to Monday’s announcement and retraction, Sri Lanka had reported six deaths in as many days, recording multiple deaths on Saturday, including a 19-year-old youth.
Meanwhile, 275 new cases were reported on Monday, taking Sri Lanka novel coronavirus toll to 11, 335. The Government Department of Information, in its daily virus update at 7:55 p.m. said all but 43 of the cases were directly linked to the Minuwangoda/Peliyagoda cluster, which has now expanded to 7,857.
Under a revised health guideline for recovering COVID-19 patients, the Ministry of Health said 3344 patients had been deemed recovered and discharged from hospitals across the country, taking the recoveries 5,249. A total of 6,065 are receiving treatment at various designated hospitals.
Separately, Secretary Ministry of Health, Major General Sanjeewa Munasinghe, in a special statement issued on Sunday (Nov 1) said prevalent strain of virus has been identified as being “very dangerous’ and that it was spreading faster from one person to another.
The virus load in a person is higher than what it was earlier, he said, warning that children and senior citizens were at a higher risk, as were people suffering from various illnesses, including cancer, because of their compromised immune system.
Major General Munasinghe warned a simple sneeze can spread billions of virus particles as opposed to 100,000 particles seen earlier. “This shows if there is a patient among the public how far the virus can spread,” he said, urging the public to limit their movements, especially out of their home towns as there is a threat of the virus spreading around the country.
-ENCL