Statistics prove SL winning Covid-19 battle - Dr. Jasinghe

• Our death rate of 9 out of 1,060 infections is 0.85% by today and the recovery rate is 58.77%

By Sandun A. Jayasekera   

Director General Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe said yesterday the statistics on Covid-19  prove that Sri Lanka was winning the battle against the viral infection. 

“Our death rate of 9 out of 1,060 infections is 0.85% by today and the recovery rate is 58.77%. The total number of recovered among Navy personnel is 250 from 596 infected. About 100 tested positive were those who arrived from overseas and remained in quarantine centres,” he added.  The number of Covid-19 patients in the country rose to 1,060 yesterday with the detection of 27 men tested positive for the viral infection on Thursday night.   
Dr. Jasinghe said 15 out of 27 new detections were sailors of the Welisara Naval Detachment who had been undergoing a 14-day quarantine at Giragama quarantine centre and 10 others were those who arrived from Dubai. The other two from the Mullaitivu quarantine centre. District wise, there were 150 patients under treatment at hospitals in Colombo, 36 in Gampaha, 35 in Puttalam, 34 in Kalutara, 13 in Kandy, 11 in Kurunegala, 7 in Jaffna, 5 in Ratnapura, 4 each in Kegalle and Moneragala, 2 each in Kalmunai, Anuradhapura and Matale, 1 each in Galle, Badulla and Matara, Batticaloa and Polonnaruwa Districts with the total surging to 1,060 hospitalised.   
 The Chief Epidemiologist of the National Institute of Infections Diseases (NIID) Dr. Eranga Narangoda yesterday said the number of Covid-19 patients at the premier infectious disease hospital in the country was gradually coming down.   

During the peak of the pandemic, we had the full capacity of patients at 140 beds and the ICU was also full. But today, we have only about 65 patients and they are recovering fast. There are no patients with the viral infection at the ICU which is a positive sign,” Dr. Narangoda said yesterday.   
The number of fully recovered patients surged to 620 with the release of five patients. 

• The number of Covid-19 patients at the premier infectious disease hospital in the country was gradually coming down