Last COVID-19 cluster on the wane
Few positive cases now from Kandakadu cluster and some among returnees
The Kandakadu cluster is abating and now COVID19 confirmed cases are from among those who are returning from abroad, many health sources said. Consultant Physician Dr. Eranga Narangoda – who treated a large number of positive patients at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) and has now moved to the Homagama Base Hospital – said fewer positive cases were being diagnosed from the Kandakadu cluster, a fact confirmed by many sources at ground level.
“When looking at the eight-day timeline, from Friday, July 31 to Friday, August 7, the 25 COVID-19 cases reported by the Epidemiology Unit were mainly returnees from abroad and to a lesser extent from the Kandakadu cluster,” the sources said, while the Public Health Inspectors’ (PHIs’) Union added that there was no fear of the new coronavirus spreading after the parliamentary election as the public adhered to the preventive measures.
“We had much public cooperation,” said the union’s Secretary M.
Balasooriya, explaining that 2,850 PHIs were on duty at the 225 polling stations on August 5 and 200 were present on Thursday and Friday at the counting centres to ensure the health guidelines were followed.
From the time the first imported case (the Chinese woman tourist) was detected on January 27, there have been 2,839 confirmed cases of COVID-19 up to now, with 11 deaths. The number of people who have recovered is 2,564. Currently, there are 264 confirmed patients and
another 38 suspected cases in hospital.
The Sunday Times looked at how the Lankapura, Rajanganaya, Gampaha and Kahathuduwa sub-clusters of the Kandakadu cluster were panning out.
Lankapura cluster
The two COVID-19 positive patients found in the Lankapura area are receiving treatment at the NIID, a source at ground level said, explaining that there is no problem now as all their contacts who underwent RT-PCR testing twice are negative.
The first was an employee of the Lankapura Divisional Secretariat who had visited Kandakadu and tested positive while in quarantine. When tests were done on other employees of the secretariat, another minor employee tested positive.
As the Divisional Secretariat staff works closely with the nearby Pradeshiya Sabha, 180 employees of both institutions sent into quarantine will report back to work on Thursday (August 13), the source said.
When asked about speculation that a school was shut down due to a new case, the source said it was not true, adding that anyway all schools were closed when this incident happened.
Rajanganaya cluster
Seven of the 20 who tested positive in Rajanganaya after one person had contact with the Kandakadu cluster have been discharged from hospital, the Sunday Times learns.
The first patient of this cluster was detected on July 10. All contacts of the 20 patients, around 60 people, were sent in to home quarantine and the RT-PCR tests done so far have been negative. The tests are to be repeated next Wednesday (August 12), a source said.
Gampaha cluster
The 150 contacts of the four-member Gampaha cluster have tested negative and a majority of them have completed their quarantine period, said the area’s Medical Officer of Health (MOH), Dr. Subasha Subasinghe.
The four patients, who have all been discharged from hospital, were a driver (male), an instructor (male) from the Kandakadu Treatment & Rehabilitation Centre, a teacher (male) and a female relative of the driver.
Kahathuduwa cluster
A visiting lecturer at the Kandakadu centre from Kahathuduwa who tested positive on July 17, followed by his wife and two children (aged 6 and 11 years) who also tested positive have recovered and left the NIID for home, it is learnt.
The lecturer’s mother-in-law who tested negative has completed her quarantine period.