COVID-19; Seven more Sri Lankans identified; total 18

Another seven Sri Lankan returnees from Italy had been identified positive for COVID-19 while bringing the total number of infected confirmed cases in the country to 18 by last evening, Director General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe said.

He said the patients who had recently identified had sent to the Kandakadu quarantine Centre. The identified persons are all-male personnel and they currently receiving treatment at the Polonnaruwa Hospital, he said.

Dr. Jasinghe said all in-house patients are in stable condition except one patient having a complication. The eleventh COVID-19 infected person was a 45-year-old male person who was the travel companion of the earlier Sri Lankan man, who had been tested positive for the virus and receiving treatments at the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH).

The number of infected patients would be increased but the health sector had taken all measures to control the situation without becoming an epidemic, the doctor said.

A total of 133 COVID-19 infected suspicious persons including nine foreigners receiving treatments at selected sixteen hospitals including the IDH.

Initially, a Chinese woman was found in Sri Lanka with COVID-19 but later she was discharged after completely recovering. Later, eleven Sri Lankans have been tested positive.

"1, 716 persons had sent to the quarantine centres who came to the Country from the worst affected countries. 4, 405 persons who associated with the COVID-19 infected persons had to self quarantined at the places where they are residing under the inspection of health officers. 2, 769 of them are Sri Lankan and 1, 120 of them are Chinese nationals," Dr. Jasinghe said.

He also said Sri Lankans who arrived the country from March 1 to 9 had set to self quarantined at their residences and request public not to look at them as a threat.

The World Health Organisation lad also declared our country as one of the countries which spreading COVID-19.

Meanwhile, a total of 1,716 passengers arrived yesterday (15) from eleven countries where the COVID-19 disease is most prevalent and all of them had sent for quarantine at Batticaloa Campus, Kandakadu Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre in Polonnaruwa and the Leprosy Hospital Hendala, Airport & Aviation Director Shehan Sumanasekara said. By Chaturanga Samarawickrama and T.K.G. Kapila)