Patients repatriated from overseas carry mild form of COVID-19 treatable locally

• No difference in virus which has infected these nationals who have returned
• returnees from Kuwait, Dubai, London, Russia and Bangladesh lead to spike in the number of cases

By JAMILA HUSAIN   

All local nationals who have been repatriated from overseas in recent days and have been tested positive for the Covid-19 virus, are not carrying the severe form of the illness and can be easily treated here, a senior official from the Health Ministry told Daily Mirror last evening.  
 
In the recent past, hundreds of locals who returned from overseas have been tested positive for the virus. All these patients are responding well to treatment while further tests are being conducted on them.   

Among the patients are those who returned from Kuwait, Dubai, London, Russia and Bangladesh leading to a spike in the number of cases. “Up to now we have not seen any difference in the virus which has infected these nationals who have returned from overseas and among that which was transmitted locally. More or less it is the same,” the official said.   

Till last evening, the total number of COVID-19 patients rose to 1,819 out of which 941 have recovered and been discharged leading to 867 active cases in the country. 11 deaths have been reported.The highest number of patients were admitted at the IDH followed by the Navy Hospital and the Hambantota General Hospital. Over 500 were those who had returned from overseas.