Sri Lanka conducts more than 1000 COVID-19 tests for the first time

COLOMBO (News1st): Sri Lanka carried out more than 1000 tests on Thursday for the first time since the outbreak of COVID-19, health officials said, amidst a surge in infections. "We carried out 1142 tests yesterday," Dr Anil Jasinghe, director-general of health services, told News1st. On Thursday, Sri Lanka recorded 38 infections including 30 navy personnel - the highest single-day toll in the country, as the total cases rose to 368. Meanwhile, more than 500 people at the Peliyagoda Fish Market who were subjected to testing, after a fishmonger from Colombo's suburb of Piliyandala tested positive for the virus. "All of them turned negative," Dr Jasinghe said. Medical groups in Sri Lanka have echoed sentiments of the world health organization to scale up testing, citing it as a crucial measure in stemming the spread of the coronavirus. Sri Lanka conducts RT-PCR tests involving the collection of nasal swab specimens, which is believed to be the most accurate testing method for the novel coronavirus. Health ministry data show that there are 254 active cases at present, with the number of deaths standing at seven.