Category: Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Lion at Dehiwala Zoo, Colombo displaying symptoms of #coronavirus ** UPDATED ** Lion now confirmed positive
A lion in the Dehiwala Zoo in Colombo, Sri Lanka, has displayed symptoms of COVID-19. The Ministry of Wildlife says plans are afoot to test the other animals for the virus as well.
Speaking to Ceylon Today, Media Secretary Nimal Yatiwella, quoting National Zoological Gardens Director General Ishini Wickremesinghe, said it was only the lion who displayed symptoms of the virus.
The lion had vomited and had a fever for preceding few days, leading zoo officials to suspect the animal may have contracted COVID-19, Secretary to the State Ministry of Wildlife Protection Major General (Retd) Palitha Fernando said.
State Minister for Wildlife Protection Wimalaweera Dissanayake said the lion’s initial PCR test was positive, while the second was negative.
** Update ** The lion, named Thor, has now been confirmed positive for Sars-CoV-2. It’s the first animal to be confirmed as infected in Sri Lanka. Genetic sequencing will be undertaken to determine which variant has caused the infection.
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Image by Pedro Grão from Pixabay
Sri Lanka: new fast spreading #coronavirus strain identified as UK variant B117
The coronavirus variant currently spreading in Sri Lanka has been found to be a UK B.1.1.7 variant of the virus. Director of the Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine of the Sri Jayewardenepura University, Dr. Chandima Jeewandara said mutations specific to the UK variant B.1.1.7 lineage, had been detected in several areas of the country. He said the virus strain has been detected from samples obtained from Colombo, Boralesgamuwa and Kurunegala. Dr. Jeewandara further said that this confirms that the B.1.1.7 lineage of COVID-19 is the new strain currently circulating in Sri Lanka. He said this particular strain of the coronavirus has been identified as the cause for the current massive outbreak in the country.
See also:
Sri Lanka: new SGTF #coronavirus variant appears to have completely displaced B.1.411 within 10 days
Sri Lanka: new SGTF #coronavirus variant appears to have completely displaced B.1.411 within 10 days
Image by Nitish Patel from Pixabay
Sri Lanka: new SGTF #coronavirus variant appears to have completely displaced B.1.411 within 10 days
Prof. Malavige said that currently, over 95% of the samples from Colombo, Kurunegala and Kalutara give an ‘S drop’, suggesting that these infections are due to this variant [B.1.1.7]. This variant appears to have completely displaced Sri Lanka’s own virus (B.1.411) within a very short period of time (10 days), showing that it is highly transmissible compared to the previous strain.
“There is a strong possibility that a ‘new variant of concern’ of the coronavirus which is highly transmissible and also causing severe disease is currently circulating in Sri Lanka,” said Prof. Neelika Malavige, Head of the Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, University of Sri Jayewardenepura.
This variant seems to have displaced the variants of Sri Lankan lineage which have been circulating so far, says Prof. Malavige going onto explain that certain changes are detected in some RT-PCR assays, when there is a variant.
“One of these changes is a so-called ‘S drop’ that occurs due to mutations that are seen in certain variants such as the UK variant (B.1.1.7). However, sequencing or targeted detection of these mutations that occur in these variants is essential to confirm which variant it is. The results of sequencing are expected next week,” she said.
She cautioned that a further COVID-19 blow will come in about 10-14 days, when the number of infected due to disregarding health precautions during avurudu, will surface.
See also:
Sri Lanka: new fast spreading #coronavirus strain identified as UK variant B117
Sri Lanka: new fast spreading #coronavirus strain identified as UK variant B117
Photo by Hendrik Cornelissen on Unsplash
Sri Lanka: New and more potent strain of #coronavirus detected in Sri Lanka – “The variant can stay airborne for almost an hour and is spreading quick”
A brand new coronavirus variant that’s airborne and stronger than all those discovered beforehand in Sri Lanka has been found within the island nation, an immunologist has said in Colombo. The variant, which is extremely transmissible, can stay airborne for almost an hour and is spreading quick, Prof Neelika Malavige, the top of the Department of Immunology and Molecular Sciences of the Sri Jayawardenapura University stated.
“This variant of coronavirus is more highly transmissible than all found so far in the island. The new strain is airborne, the droplets can remain airborne for nearly an hour,” Ms. Malavige stated.
Health authorities feared that the novel variant is spreading quickly after final week’s New Year celebrations with extra youthful individuals getting contaminated. “In the next two incubation periods, the disease can progress to a third wave,” Upul Rohana, of the Public Health Inspectors stated, including that the actual state of affairs would emerge solely within the coming 2-Three weeks.
Prof. Malavige says the new variant infects five to six people from one person and is seen more in young people. She added that although the previous variants did not show symptoms, the new variant does show symptoms. She added that details about the new variant will be announced in the next few days.
See also:
Sri Lanka: new SGTF #coronavirus variant appears to have completely displaced B.1.411 within 10 days
Sri Lanka: new SGTF #coronavirus variant appears to have completely displaced B.1.411 within 10 days
Image by Kon Karampelas from Pixabay