Strictly follow COVID measures
Social distancing and face-masks essential, says Epid Chief dispelling concerns over Rajanganaya student turning positive
Extensive regional testing including vulnerable segments of the population as well as the identified clusters indicates that there is no community spread of C OVID -19, Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera assured on Friday evening.
Pointing out that even though they are carrying out extensive testing, some could be missed, he earnestly urged people to adhere strictly to preventive measures such as social distancing and wearing face-masks.
Focusing on the 16- year- old student from Rajanganaya who had tested mildly positive this week after being in quarantine, he said that there were several possibilities for this scenario.
“Two RT-PCR tests on the student had been negative with the third being weakly positive. He had also had a sore-throat while in quarantine. The early tests may have been inconclusive because the sensitivity of the RT- PCR test is 60% and the infection may have been missed,” said Dr. Samaraweera, pointing out there is also the possibility that the third test became mildly positive while he may have recovered from the infection and his body may have been shedding the dead virus. An antibody test seems to point in the direction that he had got the infection and overcome it.
“However, as a precautionary measure, he is being kept in isolation for another 14 days,” he said, adding that they would do repeat testing once again.
The Rajanganaya sub-cluster – linked to the Kandakadu Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre cluster – erupted when a lecturer at Kandakadu who lives in Rajanganaya was detected with COVID-19. All those who had come into contact with him were quarantined and tested. Twenty people including the lecturer were positive in this sub-cluster. Now with the inclusion of the student, the number is 21.
Rajanganaya Public Health Inspector (PHI) S.N. Dissanayaka said that the student who had been in home quarantine for 28 days had attended school thereafter on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week when he tested positive. He is at Methsiri Sevana, the kidney unit of the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital, while his only close family member, his father, has tested negative. Thirty students and 7 teachers have been sent into home quarantine and the school closed for a day for disinfection.
The PHI assured that there was no fear of this patient setting off a community spread as he nor his close contacts had travelled out of the area.
Meanwhile, dealing with various angles of COVID- 19, Dr. Samaraweera said that there were several positive cases at the Senapura Rehabilitation Centre which was an extension of the Kandakadu cluster, while the other sub-clusters were gradually subsiding.
So far, Sri Lanka has performed 186,000 RT-PCR tests at 18 centres including random testing, it is learnt. On Thursday (August 13), 2,586 tests had been done.
Other COVID-19 clusters
Lankapura sub-cluster
Updating the Sunday Times on the Lankapura situation, a source said that the two employees of the Divisional Secretariat who were diagnosed as positive are still at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID).
Around 180 contacts of these two patients completed their quarantine on August 12 and the Divisional Secretariat and close- by Pradeshiya Sabha ( PS) resumed work on Friday after both offices were disinfected on Thursday. These employees underwent RT- PCR tests thrice and the total tests done in the area were 540.
The PS Chairperson who had attempted to vote while in home quarantine and was re- sent to a quarantine centre has also returned home and resumed work on Friday.
Kahathuduwa sub-cluster
The four positive cases reported from Kahathuduwa who were discharged from hospital have completed their self-quarantine period too this week, a source said.
These patients were four family members, with the father being a visiting lecturer at the Kandakadu centre, who tested positive on July 17.
Gampaha sub-cluster
The 150 contacts of the four-member Gampaha sub-cluster have tested negative and completed their quarantine period, Medical Officer of Health (MOH), Dr. Subasha Subasinghe said.
This is while the four patients, an instructor at the Kandakadu centre (male), a driver (male), a teacher (male) and a female relative of the driver, have been discharged from hospital. The instructor and the driver have completed their self-quarantine period, while the teacher and the female relative are in the last few days of quarantine.