Srilanka

Although initially, Corona virus disease was reported to be spread fromanimal to human but now the human to humantransmission has been observed Epidemiology unit Nhsl says .

Issuing the Daily Situation Report yesterday about the Corona virus the Epidemiology unit Nhsl made following observations:This disease reported on 31st December 2019 from Wuhan City in Hubei Province of China.• On 7th Jan 2020, it was diagnosed as &Novel CoronaVirus&.• On 30th Jan 2020, it was renamed as &2019-nCoV acuterespiratory disease& and on the same day World HealthOrganization has declared it as a Public HealthEmergency of International Concern (PHEIC).• The incubation period is reported as 2-14 days.• R0 (Basic reproduction number) is estimated as 1.4 to 2.5.(R0= the number of cases one case generates on average over the courseof its infectious period, in an otherwise uninfected or not immune)Ref. European Respiratory Society- www.ersnet.org 29/01/2020• Initially, the disease was reported to be spread fromanimal to human but now the human to humantransmission has been observed.• First confirmed case of Coronavirus infected person wasreported from Sri Lanka on 27th January 2020.• The patient was a Chinese national who came to Sri Lankaon 19.01.2020 as a tourist. Still Sri Lanka has only oneconfirmed patient. She is admitted to the NationalInstitute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) and now fully recovered.• 14 hospitals around the country have been identified as the treatment centers for the suspected persons. (NHSL,LRH, NIID, TH Ragama, DGH Gampaha, DGH Negombo,Global Situation• 11953 (11821 & China, 132 & OutsideChina) confirmed cases with 259 deaths (all from China)Local Situation• One (1) confirmed patient at NIID• 18 suspected individuals currently under surveillance• 4 at NIID, 2 at NHSL, 2 at TH Karapitiya, 3at TH Kurunegala, 7 at National Hospital KandyNational Hospital Kandy, TH Karapitiya, TH Anuradhapura,TH Jaffna, TH Kurunegala, PGH Rathnapura, THBatticoloa, PGH Badulla)• Returning Sri Lankan students (also those who visitedChina due to other purposes during last 14 days) whowere in China are advised to stay in their homes withminimal contacts with others for a period of 2 weeksfrom the day of arrival to Sri Lanka. (Please read thespecial guideline prepared for them)• In the current Sri Lankan context, there is no scientific justification to wear face mask routinely by the generalpublic including children.• 33 students who were in Wuhan city successfullyevacuated and now in Diyathalawa army base for thequarantine activities. All are healthy

All arrangements have been made to celebrate Sri Lankathe 72nd National Independence Day at the Independence Square in Colombo tomorrow.President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will preside over the National Independence Day celebrations that will be held under the theme &A Secured Nation - A Prosperous Country&.The ceremony will commence at 9 am with the arrival of the President and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.According to the Public Administration and Home Affairs Ministry more than 2,500 guests had been invited for the celebration including foreign diplomats.

The Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry yesterday (02) stated that there are 18 patients suspected to have been infected with the Coronavirus are currently under surveillance.According to the Epidemiology Unit, four patients are warded at the National Institute of Infectious Disease (NIID/IDH), two at the National Hospital, two at the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital, three at the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital and seven at the National Hospital in Kandy.The Epidemiology Unit has issued special guidelines for Sri Lankan students/ Nationals and other foreign nationals returning from high risk areas of on-going Coronavirus transmission. According to the guidelines, such persons are expected to adhere to a series of practices for a period of 14 days from the time of arrival in Sri Lanka.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has ordered a comprehensive investigation into reports of allegations over financial irregularities said to have committed during the deal between SriLankan Airlines and Airbus SE for the purchase of aircrafts.An English language weekly in yesterdayissue and a few websites on Saturday have published reports describing alleged misdeeds relating to the transaction between the national carrier and Europe based Airbus Industries. Upon seeing these reports, President Rajapaksa immediately ordered officials to initiate a full inquiry into these allegations, covering all aspects of the deal and report back to him, the PresidentMedia Division said in a release.