COLOMBO – Sri Lanka reached yet another grim milestone on Sunday (13) with the COVID-19 fatality tally crossing the 150 mark, as three deaths were reported, two of them from Colombo and Wattala, and the third from Matale. Sunday also saw the novel coronavirus tally inch towards 33,000 with 655 new cases confirmed during the course of the day.
The Department of Government Information in a statement announcing the deaths identified the deceased as two females aged 62 and 71 from Colombo 10 and Wattala and a 76-yeard old male from Matale who had been receiving treatment at a private hospital in Colombo.
It said 62-year-old, receiving treatment at the General Hospital Colombo had been transferred to the Mulleriyawa Base Hospital upon being diagnosed as COVID-19 positive, and had died of the virus related pneumonia and cardiac arrest. The second female had been transferred to the Infectious Diseases Hospital from a private hospital had died of COVID-pneumonia and virus related sepsis.
Meanwhile, the 76-year-old male, who had been receiving treatment at a private hospital in Colombo and transferred to the Anuradhapura District Hospital upon being diagnosed as COVID – 19 positive, had died of COVID-pneumonia and a heart condition.
The statement said Director General of Health Services, Dr. Asela Gunawardena, had confirmed all three deaths to be COVID-19 related, taking the COVID fatality count to 152,
One hundred and thirty nine deaths have now been officially recorded since October 24, many of them at home and several on admission to hospitals, since 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.
Sunday’s confirmations take Sri Lanka’s novel coronavirus count to 32.720 with 23,793 being deemed recovered and discharged under the new health ministry guidelines, and 8,848 receiving treatment at various designated hospitals across the country.
The Department of Government Information said all 650 of the 655 cases confirmed on Sunday (12) linked to Peliyagoda/, which has now expanded to 29,152) cases.
Meanwhile, Army Commander, Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, head of the National Operations Centre for the Prevention of COVID- 19, announced that the Sirisanda Sewana Housing Scheme and Sirimuthu Uyana Housing Scheme in the Grandpass Police Division; Lakhiru Sewana Railway Flats in the Maligawatta Police Division and Sirisara Uyana in the Borella Police Division will be released from the isolation station placed on them. He also said the isolation order placed on the Police Divisions of Modar, Kotahena, Grandpass, Wolfendhal Street, Dam Street, Keselwatta, Maligawatta, Dematagoda , Maradana, Wekanda Grama Niladhari Division of Slave Island, Wanathamulla Grama Niladhari Division of Borella, Salamulla Grama Niladhari Division and Laksanda Sewana Housing Scheme in Wellampitiya, South of Ferguson Road in Mattakkuliya, Hunupitiya Grama Niladhari Division in Slave Island, 60- Watta in Kurunduwatta and Kokila Road in Wellawatta will continue until further notice.
Update on Removal, Continuation and Activation of Isolation Status
-ENCL